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FAMILY PRAYERS: 



TO WHTCH IS ADDED, 



A FAMILY COMMENTARY 



SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 



v' 



BY THE LATE 



HENRY THORNTON, Esq., M.P. 



17 



FIRST AMERICAN EDITION. 



EDITED BY THE REV. MANTON EASTBURN, D. D., 



BECTOB OP THE CHURCH OP THE ASCENSION. NEW YOEK. 




NEW YORK: 

SWORDS, STANFORD, & CO., 

1837. 



yy'i^ 






Entered accordiug to act of Congress, in the year 1836, by 

SWORDS, STANFORD, & CO., 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York 



^f^^ 



NEW YORK: 

REDFIELD & LINDSAY, STEREOTYPERS, 

No. 13 Chambers street 



PREFACE TO THE AMERICAN EDITION. 



The present Volume contains two works, which have 
been separately published in England ; the Family 
Commentary upon the Sermon on the Mount having 
appeared there, about a year after the first edition of 
the Family Prayers, The arrangement now adopted 
will,, it is thought, be found convenient for domestic 
worship ; as combining within the same volume a 
Manual of prayer, and portions of scriptural exposition 
for reading. 

It may seem presumptuous in the Editor to say any 
thing by way of introduction, to productions bearing on 
their title-page the name of Thornton ; — a name, fa- 
miliar not to England only, but to the world ; and indis- 
solubly associated with our thoughts of whatever is 
enlarged in Christian beneficence, sound in religious 
views, and beautiful in consistency of daily practice. 
He will take the liberty, however, of simply saying, in 
regard to the Family Prayers, that, without at all de- 
tracting from the merit of other works of the same 
description, they appear to him to preserve, in a re- 
markable degree, the difficult and happy medium be- 
tween verboseness on the one hand, and a cold concise- 

iii 



IV AMERICAN PREFACE. 

ness on the other. It is behoved that none can use 
them, without feehng that they impart a spirit of grati- 
tude and self-humiliation. They are what prayers 
should be, — fervent, and yet perfectly simple. 

He would beg the indulgence of saying also, that he 
has seldom read any work of a purely practical char 
acter, with more delight and instruction, than the Com- 
mentary upon the Sermon on the Mount. It is remark- 
able throughout for the profound insight into human 
nature which it manifests : for its clear exhibition of the 
fundamental truths of the gospel : and for the faithful- 
ness, honesty, and, at the same time, the true refine- 
ment and dignity, of the language in which its instruc- 
tions are conveyed. 

The Editor cannot but indulge the confident belief, 
that the publication of these two works, in this united 
form, will be a rich spiritual benefit to the community. 
May God graciously add his blessing ! 

MANTON EASTBURN. 

New Yokk, December, 1836. 



PREFACE. 



The following Prayers were prepared by the late Mr. 
Henry Thornton, for the use of his own family. Many 
of those, who, in his lifetime, were admitted to hear them 
in that circle, and many of those, who have heard them 
since, within the same walls, have expressed a wish, that 
the benefit, there enjoyed, might be more widely extended. 
Copies were, therefore, sometimes given : and from one of 
these, carried to a distant dependency of the empire, an 
imperfect edition was printed. From that time, perhaps, 
all delicacy with respect to the publication of an authorized 
edition was removed. 

Those, who are familiar with other manuals of devotion, 
may here occasionally find passages which are not new to 
them ; and may, indeed, recognise two* entire prayers, 
which, as specimens of family devotion, have already been 
published in another work, to which they were contributed, 
anonymously, by Mr. Henry Thornton. His object was 
not human praise : giving thus to the work of another, — or 
borrowing, here and there, a phrase or a sentence from elder 
divines to enrich his own collection of prayers, — his single 
aim was to promote the glory of God in the edification of 
His people ; providing, by these prayers, in the first place, 
for the household which Providence had united around him ; 
and endeavouring, in the second place, by the specimens 
of family prayers which have been already mentioned, to 
excite in others a taste for domestic worship, and to furnish 
some aid to them in its exercise. 

* The first draughts of two or three others were contributed in the 
same manner to another work. 

1* 



VI PREFACE. 

The world will be wiser and better, and therefore happier, 
in proportion as it shall imbibe the spirit of the life and of 
the prayers of Mr. Henry Thornton. Admirable as have 
been the examples of excellence which the present gener- 
ation has been permitted to witness, there has not been 
perhaps one individual, in the whole number, who mani- 
fested in a more striking manner that combination of qual- 
ities, which constitutes Christian consistency. His piety 
was fervent, and yet sober ; his liberality was magnificent, 
and yet discriminating ; his charity was large, and yet not 
latitudinarian ; his self-denial was rigorous, yet unobtrusive. 
At one time, there was some hope, that these principles — 
as embodied, by the grace of God, in his habitual conduct 
— might have been exhibited to the world by the hand of 
his dearest and most intimate friend i a life of Henry 
Thornton, by William Wilberforce, would, indeed, 
have been a legacy of wisdom and piety, which would have 
enriched many generations. This hope, long cherished, is 
now finally lost : and the character of Mr. Henry Thornton 
must, perhaps, be left to be collected from his works ; — his 
original and intellectual powers, from his Essay on Paper 
Credit, (the publication of which, as Dr. Miller observed in 
his Philosophy of History, forms an epoch in the history 
of the science to which it belongs ;) — his views of religion, 
from the prayers now published, — and from some practical 
Commentaries on the Old and New Testament, portions of 
which (complete, though not intended for publication) are 
now in the press. These, indeed, like the present volume, 
he drew up for the use of his own family : but it is hoped, 
that both the Prayers and the Commentaries, while they 
contribute to illustrate the character of their author, (an ob- 
ject which he certainly never contemplated,) will, also, by 
the Divine blessing, promote, after his death, the great 
designs of his life, — the good of his fellow- creatures, and 
the glory of God. 

R. H. I. 

Battebsea Rise, June 6, 1834. 



CONTENTS. 



PRAYERS FOR THE MORNING. 

PAGE. 

First Morning 11 

Second Morning , • 13 

Third Morning 16 

Fourth Morning 18 

Fifth Morning 21 

Sixth Morning 23 

Seventh Morning 25 

Eighth Morning 27 

Ninth Morning 29 

Tenth Morning 31 

Eleventh Morning 33 

Twelfth Morning 35 

Thirteenth Morning 37 

Fourteenth Morning 39 

Fifteenth Morning 42 

Sixteenth Morning 44 

Seventeenth Morning 47 

Eighteenth Morning 49 

Nineteenth Morning 51 

Twentieth Morning 53 

Twenty-first Morning. 55 

Twenty-second Morning , 57 

Twenty-third Morning 60 

Twenty-fourth Morning 62 

Twenty-fifth Morning 64 

Twenty-sixth Morning , 67 

Twenty-seventh Morning 70 

Twenty-eighth Morning 73 

PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY MORNING. 

First Sunday Morning 75 

Second Sunday Morning ♦ 78 

Third Sunday Morning , ..►....,., 81 

Fourth Sunday Morning ,.,,..., 83 

Fifth Sunday Morning , , , S6 

vii 



Vm CONTENTS. 

PRAYERS FOR SUNDAY EVENING. 

PAGE. 

First Sunday Evening 89 

Second Sunday Evening 92 

Third Sunday Evening 96 

Fo urth Sunday Evening 99 

Fifth Sunday Evening 102 

PRAYERS FOR THE EVENING. 

First Evening 105 

Second Evening 107 

Third Evening 109 

Fourth Evening Ill 

Fifth Evening.... * 114 

Sixth Evening .' 116 

Seventh Evening * 119 

Eighth Evening 122 

Ninth Evening 124 

Tenth Evening 126 

Eleventh Evening 128 

Twelfth Evening 130 

Thirteenth Evening 132 

Fourteenth Evening 134 

Fifteenth Evening 136 

Sixteenth Evening 139 

Seventeenth Evening 141 

Eighteenth Evening 143 

Nineteenth Evening 145 

Twentieth Evening 147 

Twenty-first Evening 149 

Twenty-second Evening 152 

Twenty-third Evening 154 

PRAYERS FOR SATURDAY EVENING. 

First Saturday Evening 156 

Second Saturday Evening 159 

Third Saturday Evening 161 

Fourth Saturday Evening 163 

Fifth Saturday Evening , , , 165 



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FAMILY PRAYERS. 



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OUR FATHER, who art in heaven, Hallowed be 
Thy name ; Thy kingdom come ; Thy will be done on 
earth, as it is in heaven : Give us this day our daily 
bread ; And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive 
those who trespass against us ; And lead us not into 
temptation ; But deliver us from evil : For thine is the 
kingdom, and the power^ and the glory, For ever and 
ever. Amen. 

THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love 
of GoD^ and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with 
us all, evermore. Amen. 



FAMILY PRAYERS. 



FIRST MORNING. 

O Lord, God Almighty, who art the Creator and the 
Governor of the world, and hast abundantly provided for 
the various wants of Thy creatures ; who hast ordered 
the day and the night to succeed each other, and when 
Thou hast refreshed man with sleep, requirest him to 
pursue his work until the evening ; who hast also or- 
dained that he shall be born to trouble, and hast ap- 
pointed the grave to be the end of all living ; We thank 
Thee, that, while Thou hast thus placed our lot in this 
life. Thou hast not left us without hope in that world 
which is to come. We adore Thee for the gift of Jesus 
Christ Thy Son, by whose Gospel life and immortal- 
ity are brought to light, and we are fully instructed in 
all those things which concern our salvation. We bless 
Thee for the pardon of sin, through faith in a Redeemer ; 
for the guidance of Thy providence ; and for the con- 
solations of Thy Spirit. We thank Thee for Thy holy 
sabbaths ; for Thy written word ; and for all the other 
means of grace, which Thou hast entrusted to us. 

Grant, we beseech Thee, that we may this day pur- 
sue, with fidelity and diligence, that work w^hich Thou 
hast assigned to us ; and that we may, at the same time, 

11 



12 FIRST MORNING. 

maintain a spiritual and heavenly mind. In the midst 
of life we are in death ; O let us remember this awful 
truth ; and let us live this day as we shall' wish that we 
had done, if it should, indeed, prove our last. Save us 
from the sins to which we are most prone. Leave us 
not to the natural dispositions of our own minds, which 
are ever inclining us to evil ; but put Thy Spirit within 
us ; and teach us to cultivate every Christian temper, 
and to abound in every good work. Strengthen our 
faith in the glorious promises of the Gospel ; and fill us 
with that joy and peace in believing, which shall be 
more than a compensation for all the temporal sacrifices 
to which we may be called. Dispose us to bear afflic- 
tion with a patient and quiet mind ; or, if Thou shouldest 
continue to us prosperity, to be ever watchful over our- 
selves, and moderate in our enjoyments ; and let us 
impart freely to others the good gifts which Thou show- 
erest down upon us. Inspire us with zeal in the fulfil- 
ment of our relative duties ; with integrity in our deal- 
ings ; and the spirit of kindness to all men. Let us 
continually examine ourselves ; and, advancing in self- 
knowledge, let us prevail over our several infirmities. 
Let us grow in grace, and in all goodness, and in meet- 
ness for Thy heavenly kingdom. 

We pray for Thy blessing on all our friends and 
relations : may they also be filled with the knowledge 
of Thy will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding ; 
and may we, and they, be of one heart, and one mind, 
loving each other as brethren in Christ, and uniting our 
endeavours to promote both the good of all men and 
Thy glory. 



SECOND MORNING. 13 

Have mercy on the poor and the afflicted — strengthen 
the weak — succour the tempted — and guide the igno- 
rant into the way of knowledge. 

Bless the rising generation ; save them from the dan- 
gers of this evil world ; sanctify to them the events 
which shall befal them; make them instruments in 
Thy hand for the advancement of the interests of Thy 
Church on earth, and members of Thy blessed family 
in heaven. 

We offer these our humble and imperfect prayers in 
the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. 

Our Father^ <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



SECOND MORNING, 



Almighty and Eternal God, our Creator and Pre- 
server, and continual Benefactor, we desire to begin this 
day with the acknowledgment of Thy power and good- 
ness, and of our obligation to love and serve Thee : and 
we beseech Thee to grant us grace to pass the whole 
of it in Thy fear, and in the fulfilment of Thy com- 
mandments. 

Thou hast appointed to each of us our work in life ; 
O Lord, enable us diligently to perform our respective 
duties. Let us not waste our time in unprofitableness 
or idleness ; nor be unfaithful to any trust committed to 

2 



14 SECOND MORNING. 

US. - Let us not put on the mere appearance of good- 
ness ; nor endeavour in any respect to deceive those 
around us : but let us remember, that Thine eye is 
upon us ; and let as have the testimony of our con- 
sciences, that, in simplicity and godly sincerity, we 
have our conversation in the world. Let truth be ever 
on our lips. Let us be examples of all integrity and 
uprightness. Help us, also, to perform a kind and 
Christian part towards those who may come under our 
influence. May we labour to do them service ; and 
may we continually deny ourselves, that we may the 
more eff*ectually and abundantly minister to the various 
wants of others. May we rejoice with them that rejoice, 
and weep with them that weep ; and be kindly affec- 
tioned one to another, with brotherly love, in honour 
preferring one another. 

We also beseech Thee to give us patience to bear 
the several trials and vicissitudes of life, with an equal 
and contented mind. Let us not be perplexed with the 
cares of this world ; nor overwhelmed with unnecessary 
fears ; but let us ever trust Thy gracious providence, 
and hope in Thy goodness and mercy. 

Give to us, when we are in prosperity, a spirit of 
moderation and sobriety. Save us from pride, and from 
self-indulgence. Deliver us from the too great love of 
earthly things ; and teach us to remember, that it is 
Thou who givest us all things richly to enjoy. 

Bless unto us the afflictive circumstances through 
w^hich we may pass. May we see Thy hand in all Thy 
various dispensations ; and adore Thee for the several 
events of Thy providence, knowing that, if we truly 



SECOND MORNING. 15 

love and serve Thee, all things shall work together for 
our good. 

We commend to Thy kind and fatherly care all our 
friends and relations. Direct, O Lord, their steps in 
life ; and bless them with all spiritual blessings in Jesus 
Christ. Vouchsafe unto them the pardon of their sins, 
and the blessed hope of eternal life. 

We pray for the rising generation. May they re- 
member their Creator in the days of their youth ; and 
find Thee to be their refuge in all the scenes through 
w^hich they pass. 

Have mercy on all who are in any sorrow or trouble. 
Do Thou provide for them through the riches of ITiy 
mercy, and send special help in their hour of need. 

Be favourable to this nation. Bless the President 
of these United States,* and all who are in authority. 
Direct our counsellors. Give tvisdom to our Congress, 
Inspire our magistrates with integrity ; and our clergy 
with the spirit of true religion. Deliver us from the 
hands of all our enemies ; and give us peace among 
ourselves. 

We oifer up these our imperfect prayers in the name 
of Jesus Christ our Saviour. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c, 

* In this passage, and others of a similar kind, the English edition has 
been altered, so as to apply to the form of government in this country. 



THIRD MORNING. 

O Lord, our Heavenly Father, most gracious and 
merciful God, who hast preserved us through all the 
stages of our past lives, and hast blessed us with un- 
numbered benefits, being never weary of doing us good, 
give us grace, we beseech Thee, most humbly and 
heartily to thank Thee for all thy loving-kindness vouch- 
safed unto us ; and let us renew the solemn dedication 
of ourselves unto Thee. 

We confess^ before Thee, the sins of our lives, which 
are more than we can number or express. We lament 
the evil which, day by day, in thought, word, and deed, 
we have committed against Thee ; and we adore the 
riches of that mercy which forgiveth all our sins, and 
healeth all our iniquities, and still aboundeth even imto 
us, who have so grievously rebelled against Thee. 

We also pray, that while we rejoice in the thought 
of that exceeding goodness which is revealed in the 
Gospel to us sinners, we may be in all respects suitably 
impressed with the various doctrines of Thy word ^ and 
may bring forth all those fruits of righteousness which 
are, by Jesus Christ, to the praise and glory of Thy 
name. 

We pray, that Ave may this day walk worthy of the 
Lord : that we may hanour Thee by our patience under 
every trial ; by our self-denial in the midst of our tempt- 
ations ; by our meekness under provocations ; and by 
our unv/earied zeal in doing good. We pray, that we 
may surrender up our wills to Thy most holy will in all 



THIRD MORNING. 17 

things ; readily accommodating om'selves to every new 
circumstance, which Thou, in Thy providence, art 
pleased to send. 

Grant that, through the daily contemplation of the 
doctrines of Thy Gospel, every good disposition may 
be formed in us. May the faith of Christ be made 
effectual to bring down our pride, to subdue our self- 
ishness, to improve our temper, to direct and restrain 
our tongues, to animate us with the purest zeal, and to 
iill us with charity to our neighbour. May it, also, 
sanctify our daily work, furnishing the motive to it, 
exciting our diligence in it, and teaching us to look to 
Thee, O Lord, for our great and final reward. O God, 
bless us this day ; and, not this day only, but to the end 
of our lives. Defend us in all our future dangers ; 
succour us in all our sorrows and adversities ; lead us 
through every difficulty and trial ; and, when all the 
troubles of this mortal life shall be over, conduct us at 
length, in peace and safety to the haven of everlasting 
rest. 

If it please Thee to send us prosperity, enable us to 
devote the good things, which Thou givest us, to Thy 
service ; and as Thou extendest Thy mercies, do Thou 
enlarge, also, the thankfulness of our hearts. Or, if it 
be Thy righteous will either to try us with temptations, 
or to visit us with any sore afflictions, O may we learn 
to bow meekly to Thy gracious providence in all things : 
and still to trust Thine unchanging purposes of m^ercy 
to us amidst all Thy various dispensations. 

To Thee, O God, w^ho hast been the support of our 
infancy, the help of our youth, and the guide of our 

2* 



18 FOURTH MORNING. 

advancing years^ do we commit ourselves for the days 
which are to come. Thy providence hath ordained our 
lot in life, and hath ordered hitherto all things concern- 
ing us. Unto Thee, the same gracious God, do we 
now resign all our affairs : to Thee do we commend 
our bodies and souls, our temporal as well as our eter- 
nal interests. Especially, we beseech Thee to save us 
from sin ; as well as from those fears which our past 
transgressions might justly bring upon us. 

We offer up these our prayers in the name of Jesus 
Christ, our Lord, 

Owr Father^ <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, SfC. 



FOURTH MORNING, 



Almighty Lord, our God, whose eyes are in every 
place beholding the evil and the good, and who seest 
not only our outward actions, but all our most secret 
thoughts, we pray Thee to maintain in us this day a 
constant sense of Thy presence, and to preserve us from 
sinning against Thee. We are exposed to dangers by 
night and by day ; our lives are in Thy hand&, and unto 
Thee do we look for preservation from every evil. O 
Lord, teach us to be ever mindful of Thee. When we 
go out and come in, and when we are alone and in 
company, may we bear in mind that Thou art contin- 



FOURTH MORNING. 19 

ually with us, and that Thou takest account of all we 
think, and speak, and do. 

We pray Thee, O merciful Father, to pardon our 
past sins, for Jesus Christ's sake. When we reflect 
how strict and holy is Thy law^ ; and how often we have 
yielded to anger and passion, to pride and vanity, to 
negligence and indolence, or to the desire of some for- 
bidden thing, we are filled with shame and confusion 
of face, on account of our many trespasses against 
Thee. But we desire to bless Thy holy name, that 
Thou hast not left us without hope ; for Thou hast 
revealed Thyself to us, as pardoning iniquity, trans- 
gression, and sin, for the sake of Thy Son Jesus Christ. 
We therefore pray Thee now to receive us into Thy 
favour, and to make us all children of God by faith in 
Jesus Christ. 

We draw near unto Thee, trusting in His name, and 
not in our own righteousness ; and we also beseech 
Thee, for His sake, to strengthen our weakness, and to 
enable us this day to fulfil everj^ duty to which we are 
called. Mav we be kind and affectionate, one to an- 
other ; sincere and upright in all our dealings, and dili- 
gent in our proper work. May we rejoice in every 
opportunity of doing good ; and may we have grace to 
deny ourselves, that we may the more abundantly min- 
ister to the wants of others. Put into us a spirit of 
compassion for the poor, as well as of thankfulness to 
Thee, who hast made us to differ. Teach us to forgive 
those who have injured us .; since we ourselves have so 
many sins for which we hope to be forgiven. Produce 
in us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, every Christian 



20 FOURTH MORNING. 

grace. Raise us up to be instruments in Thy hand for 
the good of many : and, while we are serving our gen- 
eration, may we be abundantly blessed in our own 
souls ; and rejoice in the sense both of Thy pardoning 
mercy, and of Thy constant and special protection. 

We pray thee, O Lord, to look down in compassion 
on all our dear friends and relations. Bestow upon 
them all things which Thou knowest to be needful for 
ihem. Sustain and comfort them in this Hfe ; but 
especially, vouchsafe unto them, the blessings of the life 
to come. 

Bless our President. Direct the public councils of 
the nation. Give success to every endeavour to relieve 
the oppressed, and to establish righteousness and peace 
on the earth. 

Have mercy on the young. Grant that they may be 
trained up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord ; 
and may thus learn to do Thy will, and to walk in Thy 
fear, all the days of their lives ; and to hand down Thy 
truth to the latest posterity. 

O Lord, we beseech Thee to bring us all, by the 
multitude of Thy mercies, through this world of many 
temptations and trials, to that place of everlasting rest 
and peace, which Thou hast prepared for them who 
love Thee. 

We offer up these our humble supplications, in the 
name and through the mediation of our Lord and Sa- 
viour, Jes¥s Christ. 

Our Father, <^^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



FIFTH MORNING. 

O Lord, God Almighty, enable us, we beseech 
Thee, to call upon Thee with humble and devout hearts. 
Let us not mix any worldly or wandering thoughts with 
the supphcations which we offer up unto Thee ; but 
let us remember, that we are now in Thy presence ; 
and let us worship Thee in spirit and in truth. 

We thank Thee, O God, for Thy mercy to us during 
the past night. We bless Thee for our renewed health 
and strength ; and for the various comforts by which 
we are surrounded. And we desire now to dedicate 
again to Thee all the faculties of our bodies and of our 
minds, and to spend the day, which is before us, to Thy 
glory. 

Deliver us, O Lord, from all the temptations of the 
day. Help us to resist the world, the flesh, and the 
Devil. Let us not be drawn aside to any thing which 
is contrary to our Christian duty, either by the propen- 
sity to sin which is within us, or by the evil example 
of those around us ; but let us watch and strive contin- 
ually, that all our ways may be pleasing in Thy sight. 
We confess, that we are weak, and helpless, and laden 
with iniquity. But do Thou, for our merciful Saviour's 
sake, have compassion on our infiri;nities ; and give us 
grace sufficient for us in every hour of our necessity. 
O Lord, grant that we may thus be preserved from sin ; 
and, putting our trust in Thee, may not be confounded. 

Give us faith in all the truths of Thy word ; may we 
be daily warned by the terrors of the Lord, and invited 



22 FIFTH MORNING. 

by Thy mercy. May we meditate on the awful pun- 
ishments denounced against the wicked, and call to mind 
the reward which Thou hast promised unto those who 
please Thee by patient continuance in well-doing. And 
thus may we be prepared to make every sacrifice, to 
which Thou mayest be pleased to call us. May we 
cut off the right hand, and pluck out the right eye, when 
Thou requirest us to do it. And may we consider all 
our interests in this Hfe as of no value compared with 
the eternal welfare of our souls. May we seek first 
the kingdom of God, and His righteousness ; trusting 
that all things which are needful for the body shall be 
added unto us. 

Pardon, Lord, all our sins in time past ; we pray 
for mercy, in the name of Jesus Christ ; and we bless 
Thee for this great Mediator ; in whom we would place 
all our confidence and hope. 

We ask every blessing in the name of the same Lord 
and Saviour. 

Our Father, <^c 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



SIXTH MORNING. 

4 

O Lord, God Almighty, infinite in power, in good- 
ness, and in mercy, help us now to worship Thee with 
reverence and humihty. Before Thee the Angels veil 
their faces. May we, therefore, approach Thee with a 
deep sense of Thine awful Majesty, and of Thy spotless 
purity and holiness ; and may we so address Thee that 
Thou mayest hear our prayers, and pour down Thy 
blessing upon us. 

We beseech Thee, O Lord, to grant us this day Thy 
Holy Spirit ; that we may be strengthened to fulfil our 
several duties, and to resist the temptations which may 
come upon us. We call upon Thee, in the name of 
Jesus Christ ; through whom Thou vouchsafest 
strength to the weak, and suppliest all the spiritual 
w^ants of the soul. Have compassion upon us, for our 
Saviour's sake ; and give us grace to do whatever Thou 
requirest of us. cleanse us, for His sake, from the 
stain of every sin, from pride, and envy, and malice, 
and selfishness, and uncharitableness ; and make us 
meek, and lowly, and gentle, and kind, and forgiving. 
Let us not live to please ourselves, or indulge any evil 
inclinations of our own hearts ; but let us aim to glorify 
Thee, our God, and to do good in our generation. Thou 
hast appointed, unto each of us, our work in life. We 
pray, that we may have grace to fulfil, each of us, the 
duties of our several stations, with integrity and fidelity. 
May we remember, that, this day. Thine eye is contin- 
ually upon us ; and, while we think of Thee, may we 



24 SIXTH MORNING. 

put our cheerful trust in Thee, and commit all our ways 
unto Thee, and be found in the fear of the Lord all the 
day long. 

We desire to acknowledge Thy various mercies to 
us. We bless Thee, that Thou coverest our table with 
plenty, that Thou makest us to abound with the good 
things of this life, and causest us to go out and come in, 
in safety, O Lord, help us to use, with moderation, 
the gifts which Thou bestowest ; and to maintain, while 
we enjoy them, continual thankfulness of heart. 

Especially, we bless Thee for Thy mercies in Jesus 
Christ ; by whom we obtain pardon of sin, and the 
blessed hope of eternal life. We beseech Thee, for 
His sake, to give us a right understanding in all things ; 
that we may know how to walk so as to please Thee, 
and how to avoid all that is hateful in Thy sight. Guide 
us in all difficulties ; and strengthen us under all tempt- 
ations ; and supply Thou our spiritual, as well as tem- 
poral, wants, for Thy great mercy's sake in Jesus 
Christ our Lord, 

Our Father y <^c. 

The grace of our Lord^ <^c. 



SEVENTH MORNING. 

O Lord, God Almighty, who hast safely brought 
us to the beginning of another day, we pray Thee to 
conduct us through the same in peace ; and to enable 
us so to pass all the time of our pilgrimage on earth, 
that, when we go hence, we may be prepared to meet 
Thee in Thy heavenly kingdom. When we think of 
this life and its various temptations, when we look 
abroad, and behold the wickedness of the world, and 
then contemplate also the weakness and corruption of 
our nature, we might well sink through fear of the diffi- 
culties with which we have to struggle, and tremble 
lest we should fall under the power of our manifold 
temptations. But we bless Thee, O Lord, for that 
abundant grace which is treasured up for us in Jesus 
Christ. We thank Thee for all the motives, promises, 
and encouragements, afforded us in Thy gospel ; and 
yve would daily rejoice in it as the power of God unto 
salvation unto every one that believeth. We bless 
Thee, that Thy Son hath died a sacrifice for sin ; and 
that the Spirit of Christ is sent to sanctify us. We, 
therefore, now pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit ; that 
we may go forth to our daily occupations and trials, 
having the Lord for our righteousness and our strength. 

Prepare us, we beseech Thee, for every duty of this 
day ; arm us for every trial which may come upon us. 
Do thou sanctify us, O Lord, in body, soul, and spirit. 
May we now seriously devote ourselves to Thee ; and 
may we be found walking in Thy fear all the day long ; 

3 



26 SEVENTH MORNING. 

fulfilling, each of us, our proper work with Christian 
humihty and simplicity. Deliver us from a careless 
and unbelieving life ; from a life of idleness and unprof- 
itableness, as well as of wickedness and vice. Save 
us from the sins which, in times past, may have most 
easily beset us ; and from those temptations to which 
we may now, through our age and circumstances, be 
most exposed. May our hearts be occupied with love 
to Thee ; and may all our faculties be so employed in 
doing good, that no place may be given for those tempt- 
ations by which those who know not the gospel of their 
salvation are continually overcome.— And may Thy grace 
increase in us ; and our corruptions be weakened, day by 
day : at the same time, forgetting the things which are 
behind, and looking forward to those things which are 
before, may we be pressing forward towards the mark 
of the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus. 

We, also, beseech Thee to deliver us from every 
prejudice and error by which we may be in danger of 
being deceived. Save us from a blinded conscience, 
and a false and misguided zeal. Suffer not, that, 
through our fault, the way of truth should ever be evil- 
spoken of; and make us fearful lest we hinder the 
gospel of Christ. 

O Lord, help us also this day to remember, how 
short and uncertain is the time of our sojourning here 
on earth ; so that, whatsoever our hands find to do, we 
may do it with all our might. May we fulfil, zealously, 
the duties of our respective stations ; and, at the same 
time, may we maintain a spiritual and heavenly mind. 
May we often think of that blessed region where Christ 



EIGHTH MORNING. 27 

silteth at the right hand of God ; and, whether we eat, 
or drink, or whatsoever we do, may we do all to Thy 
glory. 

We offer up these our humble and imperfect prayers, 
in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. 

Our Father J cj-c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



EIGHTH MORNING. 



O Lord, God Almighty, we pray Thee, now to de- 
liver us from all wandering thoughts. Help us to 
remember in whose presence we are ; and let us wor- 
ship Thee in spirit and in truth. 

O Lord, our Heavenly Father, who art the preserver 
of our lives and the giver of all the good things which 
we enjoy, we thank Thee for the mercies of the past 
night. We bless Thy name, that we are here met 
together in so much health and comfort : and that we 
have now the prospect of passing another day in the 
enjoyment of the bounties of Thy providence ; while 
we have also set before us the blessed hope of everlast- 
ing life. We beseech Thee to give us this day grace 
to serve Thee in onr several stations, and to walk ac- 
cording to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Save us from 
the temptations of the day ; strengthen us for the fulfil- 
ment of oii)t. duties ; direct us in all our difficulties ; and 



28 EIGHTH MORNING. 

comfort us under any trouble or adversity, into which 
we may this day come ; and grant, that, when we He 
down at night, we may be able to look back on the 
hours which shall have passed, w^ith an humble confi- 
dence that Thou acceptest our services, and wilt pardon 
our infirmities, for Jesus Christ's sake. 

We beseech Thee to deliver us from all evil passions, 
from pride and envy, from hatred and ill-will, from cen- 
soriousness and uncharitableness ; and, especially, from 
the want of Christian kindness towards those w^ho dwell 
with us in the same family, and worship Thee, together, 
as partakers of the same faith. Preserve us, also, from 
those secret transgressions w^hich Thine eye alone can 
discern in us. Deliver each of us from the sins which 
most easily beset us. O Lord, grant that Thy good 
Spirit may this day abide within us ; and dispose us to 
every good work. 

And help us also to call often to remembrance the 
great love of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ ; 
who came down from heaven to die for us, that we, 
being delivered from the dread of Thy wrath, and re- 
joicing in the hope of Thy mercy, might serve Thee, 
day by day, in newness of life. O Lord, strengthen 
our faith in Him who hath suffered on the cross for us. 
Teach us to walk according to His example. May w^e, 
like Him, be kind and compassionate, forbearing and 
forgiving, holy and harmless, undefiled and separate 
from sinners. 

And bless us, not this day only, but to the end of our 
Hves. We pray, that, so long as we remain in this 
world of trial. Thou wouldst strengthen us by Thy Holy 



NINTH MORNING. 29 

Spirit, and comfort us, and continually direct us. Suffer 
us not, at any time, to depart from Thee, who art our 
Father and our God, through any allurements of the 
world, or any temptations of the flesh, or of the Devil ; 
but make us ever stedfast in Thy truth, and faithful to 
Thy cause, and devoted to Thy service. 

We offer up these our imperfect prayers, in the name, 
and through the mediation, of our only Saviour, Jesus 
Christ. 

Our Father, ^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



NINTH MORNING. 



O God, who hast commanded us in Thy word to call 
upon Thy name, and hast declared that Thou hearest 
and answerest the prayers of those who make their 
supplications unto Thee, we desire now to offer up our 
petitions, under a deep sense of our unworthiness, and 
of Thy manifold and great mercies. 

We bless Thee for Thy preservation of us during 
the past night; and we desire to acknowledge again 
our dependence upon Thee, and our unfeigned obliga- 
tions towards Thee. We thank Thee for having poured 
down upon us so many blessings of this hfe : we thank 
Thee for our health, and strength ; for our food, and 

raiment; and for all the comforts, and conveniences 

3* 



30 NINTH MORNING. 

which Ave enjoy. But, above all, we praise Thee for 
the inestimable privilege of being born in a land of re- 
ligious light and knowledge. For these, and for all 
Thy various and great mercies, we would render unto 
Thee a grateful heart : and we would endeavour to 
show our gratitude, not with our lips only, but with our 
lives ; by giving up ourselves to Thy service, and by 
walking before Thee, in holiness and righteousness, all 
our days on earth. 

We now beseech Thee to enable us by Thy grace 
to pass the whole of this day, in Thy fear. May we 
employ ourselves in doing those things which become 
our station and circumstances : may we mortify all our 
corrupt affections : may we exercise ourselves in main- 
taining a conscience void of offence towards Thee, and 
towards all men : may we rise superior to our tempta- 
tions ; and, by Thy grace, prevail over our several in- 
firmities. 

We pray Thee, O Lord, to animate our minds by 
those glorious hopes which are set before us in Thy 
word ; so that if we have any present sacrifices to make, 
they may seem small to us, in comparison of that in- 
ward satisfaction and joy, which the gospel gives in the 
midst of worldly disappointments. And, at the same 
time^, deliver us from every false hope. May we ex- 
amine well our title to Heaven, till we know that our 
foimdation is sure, and shall never fail us. We confess 
that we are daily compassed with infirmity : but we 
pray, that every evil habit may be weakened in us ; 
that every temptation may, by degiees, be overcome ; 
and that every terror may at length be done away* 



TENTH MORNING. 31 

May we thus be brought into the true hberty of the 
children of God ; and serve Thee without fear, in hoH- 
ness and righteousness, all the days of our lives. 

Hear, O Lord, these our prayers ; and supply both 
our temporal and spiritual wants, for the sake of Jesus 
Christ, our blessed Saviour. 

Our Father^ <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



TENTH MORNING. 



Almighty and everlasting God, we kneel down 
to thank Thee for Thy merciful care and protection 
during the past night ; and we beseech Thee now to let 
Thy blessing rest upon us. Help us to begin the day 
with the solemn dedication of ourselves to Thy service ; 
and then to go to the duties of our several stations ; 
with an earnest desire to do every thing in Thy fear, 
and with a view to Thy glory. 

We beseech Thee, O Lord, to establish us in the 
great doctrines of Thy Gospel ; may we be grounded in 
the faith of Christ crucified for us : may that history 
which we read in Thy holy word, of our Saviour's 
coming down from heaven, to live as our example, and 
to die as the Atonement for our sins, affect us deepl)^, 
and have its full influence upon us : may it excite our 
warmest gratitude to Him who died for us : may it in- 



32 TENTH MORNING. 

spire us with hatred against sin : may it elevate us 
above the fear of wicked men ; and may we learn to 
take part with our suffering and despised Lord. May 
that zeal to save us, which He showed, awaken, in each 
of us, a concern for our own salvation ; and may it be 
the chief desire of our hearts to be made partakers of 
all the benefits both of His death and of His glorious 
resurrection. 

But since we are by nature so prone to evil, and so 
httle disposed to spiritual things, we pray Thee, O God, 
to purify our minds from all sinful and vain desires, by 
the powerful efficacy of Thy grace. O Lord, grant 
unto us Thy Holy Spirit. May it dwell within us, as 
a spirit of purity and holiness, a spirit of truth and of 
wisdom, of peace also, and love, and of holy joy, and 
consolation. May we pass this day in the thankful 
remembrance of Thy mercies, and in the diligent 
performance of Thy commandments. May no evil 
thoughts, no angry tempers, no distressing doubts or 
fears disturb us. May we serve Thee our God ; and 
live peaceably with all men. May we be kind, and 
humble ; patient and thankful ; and sober-minded, and 
temperate in all things. May we fulfil the duties of the 
day ; and may we lie down at night, praising Thee 
again for all Thy goodness ; and committing ourselves, 
with holy confidence, to Thy mercy. 

We ask these blessings, in the name of Jesits Christ, 
our only Mediator. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



ELEVENTH MORNING. 

Almighty and everlasting God, on whom all Thy 
creatures every where depend for life, and breath, and 
all things ; in whose favour all their true happiness 
consists ; and whose wrath is insupportable ! w^e, Thy 
creatures, whom Thy hand hath made, and whom Thy 
bounty hath supported, kneel down to acknowledge the 
Author of our being, and to pray for Thy blessing upon 
us. 

We lament, that we are by nature so prone to evil ; 
and that, amidst the many gifts bestowed upon us, we 
so seldom lift up our thoughts to Him who is the giver. 
Every night. Thou again refreshest us with sleep ; and 
every morning, Thou renewest Thy various mercies to 
us ; giving us health, and strength, and talents for Thy 
service, and affording to us fresh opportunities for our 
usefulness in the world. 

We pray, that, as our days pass away, we may be 
improving the time, which is allotted to us. May we 
gather wisdom from Thy sacred word. May we dili- 
gently attend on the means of grace : and may we la- 
bour, each of us, as Thy faithful servants, in our several 
calHngs. 

We pray Thee to impr'ess upon us a deep sense of 
the importance of eternity. May we be looking con- 
tinually to the end of our course ; and, remembering 
how soon all in which we here delight, shall have pass- 
ed away for ever, may we prepare to give up our ac- 
count of all things done in the body ; and^ day by day^ 



34 ELEVENTH MORNING. 

may we have our conversation in heaven ; moderating 
our affections towards the things of this world, and 
living here below a life of faith in the Son of God. 

And now, O Lord, whatsoever may be that employ- 
ment which Thy providence allotteth to us, may we 
fulfil it as in Thy fear, and with a view to Thy glory. 
And wheresoever we are this day, be Thou present with 
us to bless us. May Thy Spirit enlighten, strengthen, 
and direct us. May we fall into no sin ; nor run into 
any kind of danger. We pray, especially, for grace to 
conquer those sins which do most easily beset us. Thou 
knowest, O Lord, our several infirmities. O give us 
grace to be careful and circumspect. Let us avoid 
every approach to our former temptations : and let us 
renew our repentance, with unfeigned sorrow, and con- 
trition of heart. 

Hear us, we now beseech Thee, in these our imper- 
fect supplications. Forgive us all our past transgres- 
sions ; and grant us grace for the time to come. All 
which we ask for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Our Father, S^c, 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



TWELFTH MORNING. 

Almighty God, by whose will we were created, and 
by whose providence we have been sustained, by whose 
mercy we have been called to the knowledge of our 
Redeemer, and by whose grace whatever we have 
thought or done, which hath been acceptable to Thee, 
hath been inspired and directed, — vouchsafe unto us, 
this day. Thy blessing. Strengthen us for the perform- 
ance of the duties now before us. And, since Thou 
hast ordained labour to be the lot of man, and knowest 
the wants and necessities of all Thy creatures, bless, 
fron> time to time, our several endeavours and employ- 
ments. Give us, this day, our daily bread. Feed us 
with food convenient for us. If it be Thy pleasure to 
cause us to abound with the good things of this life, 
give us a compassionate spirit, that we may be ready 
to relieve the wants of others : but let neither riches, 
nor poverty, estrange our hearts from Thee : nor cause 
us to become negligent of those treasures in heaven 
which can never be taken from us. And, into whatever 
circumstances of life we may be brought, teach us to 
be cheerful and content. In our affliction, let us re- 
mem.ber how often we have been succoured ; and, in 
our prosperity, may we acknowledge from whose hand 
our blessings are received. 

And do Thou dispose us all, most merciful God, so 
to remember our sins, that w^e may be brought to true 
repentance, and unfeigned sorrow, and contrition of 
soul. Strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ our Lord ; 



36 TWELFTH MORNING. 

and grant, that through the gracious help of Thy Holy 
Spirit, we may obtain that peace which the world can- 
not give ; and may be enabled to pass the residue of our 
lives, in humble resignation and willing obedience. We 
acknowledge, O God, that every day is Thy gift, and 
ought to be used according to Thy command. O Thou, 
in whose hands are life and death, and by whose mercy 
we are spared, help us so to improve the time, that we 
may every day become more holy in Thy sight ; and, 
when it shall please Thee to call us from this mortal 
state, may we resign our souls into Thy hands, with 
confidence and hope ; and may we finally find mercy, 
and obtain a joyful resurrection to eternal life, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. 

We commend to Thy fatherly goodness all our rela- 
tions and friends, especially those who are the most 
closely united to us. We beseech Thee to look mer- 
cifully upon them ; and to grant them whatever may 
most promote their present and eternal joy. 

Bless the President of these United States, and all 
in authority. Extend Thy goodness to our whole na- 
tive land. Pity the sorrows, and relieve the necessi- 
ties, of all mankind. And let Thy kingdom come ; and 
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 

O Lord, hear our prayers, for Jesus Christ's sake ; 
to whom, with Thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour 
and glory, world without end. Amen. 

Our Fathe7% <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



THIRTEENTH MORNING. 

Most gracious and merciful God, who hast protected 
us through the night, hast refreshed us with sleep, and 
hast brought us together this morning in peace, — We 
desire to present unto Thee our unfeigned thanks and 
praise for all Thy various and great mercies. We con- 
fess that we are unworthy to come into Thy presence, 
before whom the angels veil their faces, and in whose 
sight the heavens are not clean ; for our lives have been 
unholy, and our sins many and great. If, therefore, 
Thou shouldst mark iniquity, Lord, who shall stand ? 
But we rejoice that there is with Thee forgiveness and 
plenteous redemption, through Jesus Christ Thy Son. 
Pleading, therefore, His sacrifice, and trusting in His 
intercession, we approach the throne of Thy grace, and 
say, " God be merciful to us sinners, for Jesus Christ's 
sake." O Lord, grant unto us true repentance, and a 
lively faith. Convince us of our guilt. Discover to us 
every thing, (either in our hearts or lives,) which hath 
been displeasing to Thee. 

We pray, that, through faith in the blood of Thy Son, 
we may obtain peace in our consciences ; and that, 
through that blessed hope which is set before us, we 
may be raised above the various troubles, disappoint- 
ments, and temptations, of this present evil world. 

We pray, also, that through the knowledge of Thy 
truth, and the help of Thy Spirit, we may be disposed 
to fulfil every precept of Thy word. May we do unto 
all men as we would that they should do unto us ; and 

4 



38 THIRTEENTH MORNING. 

may we forgive one another, even as we hope to be for- 
given. May we be clothed with humihty ; and, deny- 
ing all ungodliness and worldly lusts, may we live 
soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present w^orld. 
May we be content with such things as we have ; ful- 
filling, each of us, our proper duties ; and watching 
against anger, malice, hatred, envy, and all other evil 
tempers, which are ready to rise up within us. And 
thus doing Thy w^ill, and walking in Thy ways, and 
improving every talent committed to us, may w^e wait 
for the second coming of our Lord. 

We, also, most humbly beseech Thee, O Father of 
mercies, to look down with an eye of favour on all om' 
friends and relations. 

Bring home to Thy flock all those who are wander- 
ing in the ways of sin. Strengthen and confirm those 
who love Thy name, that they may rejoice in Thy sal- 
vation. 

Be gracious unto all whom Thou hast disposed to be 
kind to us: sanctify them to Thyself; and shower 
down Thy best blessings upon them. 

Pity those who are afflicted, tempted, persecuted, 
enslaved, or oppressed ; and in Thy good time give 
them deliverance. 

Give success to the labours of the ministers of Thy 
gospel. Bless and purify Thy Church. Have com- 
passion on our native land ; and, though many sins 
testify against us, take not away the means of grace so 
long afl"orded us. 

Bless the President of these United States, and all 
in authority : direct the public measures to our best 



FOURTEENTH MORNING. 39 

interests, and to Thy glory : and teach all orders of 
men to serve their generation according to Thy will. 
And grant that all the changes in the kingdoms of the 
world may issue in Thy glory, and in the furtherance 
of Thy gospel. 

These, and all other things needful for us, we ask in 
the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



FOURTEENTH MORNING. 

Almighty and everlasting God, who art the giver 
of all the good things which we enjoy, we. Thy crea- 
tures, who are here assembled together in Thy name, 
desire to offer our unfeigned thanks for all Thy tem- 
poral as well as spiritual mercies. We bless Thee for 
our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this 
life ; but, above all, for Thine inestimable love in the 
redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ. 
We thank Thee, that the knowledge of this salvation 
hath extended to us ; and that w^e have been instructed 
in the will of God, and in the blessed doctrines of Thy 
Gospel. We praise Thee for that good providence 
which hath directed our steps in life. We thank Thee, 
if Thou hast in any measure enlightened our minds to 
understand the truths which we have heard ; and to 



40 FOURTEENTH MORNING. 

know the things which make for our everlasting peace. 
O Lord, grant, we now most humbly beseech Thee, 
that we may not walk in darkness ; but, as He that 
hath called us is Holy, may we also be Holy in all 
manner of conversation. Give us grace to overcome 
our sinful appetites and passions ; and to be sober and 
temperate in all things. Assist us, also, by Thy Holy 
Spirit, to subdue the corrupt affections of the mind ; all 
anger, and malice, and envy, and pride, and covetous- 
ness ; and make us patient and contented, kind and 
charitable, humble and spiritually-minded. We pray 
Thee also, to make us dihgent, and useful, in that 
world in which Thou hast placed us. May we not 
misspend our time, nor neglect any opportunity of do- 
ing good ; but may we be willing daily to deny our- 
selves, that we may the more abundantly minister to the 
various wants of others. 

We pray Thee, O Lord, to give unto each of us 
grace to know the several duties to which we are called ; 
and to be both faithful and zealous in the performance 
of them. 

May those w^ho bear rule in this house remember, 
that they are only the stewards of the good things which 
Thou entrustest to them ; and that they must give 
account hereafter to their Master who is in heaven. 

Give to the children of this family grace to he obe- 
dient in all things ; and to learn to loalk in the fear 
of the Lard, and to exercise brotherly kindness towards 
each other. 

May the servants of this house remember, that Thine 
eye is upon them ; and that the Gospel^ which they have 



FOURTEENTH MORNING. 41 

been taught, requires them not only to approve them- 
selves to their master after the flesh, but also to please 
God who trieth the heart. 

May we all live together in Christian peace, harmo- 
ny, and love ; endeavouring to administer to each other's 
comfort, to bear each other's burdens, and to promote 
each other's temporal as well as spiritual good. Teach 
us, also, to abound in charity towards all those with 
whom we may this day have any intercourse.. 

Pardon, we beseech Thee, for Christ's sake, the 
multitude of our past negligences and sins ; and help 
us to awake unto righteousness, and to be diligent in 
every good work : and, when we shall lie down at night, 
may we have the testimony of our consciences, that w^e 
have been serving Thee according to our best opportu- 
nities and abilities, with humility and integrity of heart. 

We pray for Thy blessing on our President and 
country ; on our friends and relations ; and on all who 
are afflicted in mind, body, or estate. Have pity on 
those who are walking after the way of their own hearts ; 
and bring them home, O Lord, to Thy flock. 

Pardon the coldness and imperfection of these our 
prayers ; and accept theni for Thy Son our Lord Jesus 
Christ's sake. 

Our Father J <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c, 
4* 



FIFTEENTH MORNING. 

O Thou Great and Eternal Being, God of all power 
and might, giver of every good and perfect gift, and 
author of all our mercies, — We kneel down, imploring 
Thee to bestow Thy protection and blessing on this 
family. Through the bountiful goodness of our Heav- 
enly Father, w^e have been favoured with innumerable 
mercies ; and we would humbly thank Thee for them : 
but we beseech Thee to add to all our other blessings 
the forgiveness of our sins through faith in that Saviour 
whom Thou hast revealed to us in the gospel. We 
pray Thee, therefore, to impress deeply on our mindsy. 
through the power of Thy Holy Spirit, the great doc- 
trines of Thy word ; to give us a clear perception of the 
evil of sin, a deep conviction of our own guile, a solemn 
belief in heaven and hell,, and a true sense of our obli- 
gations to the Lord who bought us. Suffer not that 
we, who have been baptized into the Christian name^ 
and taught the truths of the gospel, should live in the 
same manner as unbelievers ; but enable us, by apply- 
ing those heart-affecting doctrines, which we have learnt, 
to our daily use in life, to become distinguished as the 
disciples of Jesus Christ our Lord, May we indeed 
cleave to the Lord, with full purpose of heart, being 
pure in our most secret thoughts and imaginations ; 
suppressing those high and self-exalting thoughts which 
are so apt to rise up within us ; and constantly bearing 
in mind how much we sin in all we do, and how en- 
tirely we owe every thing which we either have, or 



FIFTEENTH MORNING. 43 

hope for, to Thy bountiful goodness, and to Thy mer- 
cies in Christ Jesus. 

And being supported by Thy grace, and grounded in 
the faith of Christ crucified for us, we pray that we 
may be enabled to practise every good work. May we 
be just and true in all our dealings ; doing unto others 
as we would that they should do unto us. May we be 
humble, thankful, and contented ; and may we do hon- 
our to Thy gospel by the manifestation of every Chris- 
tian temper. 

Give us grace to maintain a constant controversy with 
all evil : — may we ourselves avoid every approach to 
it ; and may we endeavour, according to our opportu- 
nities and ability, to persuade all those, over whom we 
have any influence, to keep at the greatest distance 
from temptation. O Lord, enable us thus to show that 
we are Christians not only in general profession, but in 
all sincerity and seriousness. May we be strict and 
self-denying ; yet kind and liberal to others, candid and 
charitable, pitiful and courteous. Teach us to under- 
stand Thine abounding grace in the gospel, that we 
may ourselves abound in every work of charity. Enable 
us to find favour in the sight of those around us ; and 
especially of those who are dearest to us ; that so we 
may improve our influence, for their benefit in this life, 
and for the furtherance of their everlasting salvation. 

Bless us, O Lord, in these Christian purposes, for 
from Thee alone cometh the strength to serve Thee ; 
and to Thee would we continually look up. Hear us, 
we beseech Thee, in these our supplications ; and grant 
mito us the help of Thy Holy Spirit, that we may live 



44 SIXTEENTH MORNING. 

this day according to these our prayers ; and that all the 
fruits of holiness may abound in us. 

We ask every blessing, in the name of Jesus Christ. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



SIXTEENTH MORNING. 

O Lord God Almighty, who hast made the world, 
and all things in it, whom all Thy creatures are bound 
to serve, in w^hose favour is life, and in whose displeas- 
ure is misery insupportable ; who hast placed us here 
for a little season, and wilt ere long call us all to judg- 
ment, — We kneel down, O Lord, praying Thee to 
strengthen our faith in all the promises and threatenings 
of Thy word ; that we may indeed live as those who 
know themselves to be frail and dying creatures on the 
brink of an awful eternity. 

We bless Thee for having brought life and immor- 
tality to light by the Gospel. We thank Thee that Thy 
Son hath died and risen again, hath broken the bonds 
of death, and hath opened unto us the gates of everlast- 
ing life. We thank Thee for the glorious hopes held 
out to each believer in His name : and at the same time 
we would rejoice with trembling ; remembering that 
condemnation which belongs to the despisers of His 



SIXTEENTH MORNING. 45 

Gospel, and to all who receive this grace of God in 
vain. 

O Lord, grant unto us faith in that eternal w^orld to 
which we are hastening. May we realize these unseen 
things : — may we turn from the love of this vain world : 
— may we perceive the sin which dwelleth in us, and 
the evil which lieth around us, and be looking forward 
to that blessed time when we shall put away the body 
of this death, and dwell for ever with the Lord. Give 
us grace to follow the faith and patience of Thy saints, 
who turned from sin to follow God, and who endured 
even to the end ; whose hearts were estranged from 
things below, and whose affections were set on things 
above ; w^ho went through trials, and persecutions, and 
a great fight of afflictions, counting that He, whom they 
served, was worthy of all obedience, and was able at 
length to save and deliver them. O may we, who have 
the example of their faith, be willing to deny ourselves, 
and take up our cross, and follow Christ ; not living 
an idle, careless life, Avhile we call ourselves the fol- 
lowers of them who now inherit the promises. May 
we daily mortify the body of sin, and daily renew the 
conflict with our spiritual enemies. May w^e be look- 
ing continually to Jesus, the author and finisher of our 
faith ; who, for the joy set before Him, endured the 
cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right 
hand of God. 

May we be so animated by our Christian faith, as to 
be willing cheerfully to endure the evils of life ; and to 
submit to all Thy righteous will concerning us. If 
there be any of us who are still strangers to Thee, O 



46 SIXTEENTH MORNING. 

teach us to remember how short and uncertam are all 
our days on earth : — Or if there be any of us who are 
indolent and trifling, too much occupied with this pres- 
ent world, O raise our thoughts to those things which 
are above, that we may be fellow-citizens with Thy 
saints and with the household of God. May we all 
give diligence to make our calling and election sure — - 
may we all repent, and forsake our sins, and believe in 
Christ — may we all die daily to the things of time, 
and rise to newness of life — may we all so pass through 
things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal. 

We ask every blessing in the name of Jesus Christ 
our Lord. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord^ <f c. 



SEVENTEENTH MORNING. 

O Lord Almighty, who art merciful and gracious^ 
long-suffering, and of great goodness, — We approach 
Thee as the God of mercy, imploring Thee to hear 
these our prayers, and to pardon the multitude of our 
sins, for the sake of Jesus Christ. Day after day, we 
add to the number of our transgressions ; every night, 
we have the sins of the preceding day to repent of; 
and every morning, we have reason to fear lest we 
should again yield to temptation, and return to our 
former iniquities.' We pray, therefore, for Thy pre- 
serving and protecting grace. Lord, put Thy Spirit 
into all our hearts ; that we, being made pure and holy 
in our secret thoughts, may not fail to perform all that 
is good and acceptable in Thy sight. 

Dispose each of us on this day habitually to employ 
our several faculties in Thy service. While we pursue 
the various duties of our calling, may we have a single 
eye to Thy glory ; and may we undertake no employ- 
ment on which we cannot hope for Thy blessing. And 
give us such a portion of Thy grace, O Lord, we be- 
seech Thee, that we may desire to do not only that 
which is in some degree beneficial ; but that which is 
most excellent and most extensively useful. May no 
spirit of self-indulgence, no love of ease, no dread of 
opposition, no fear of shame, prevent our laying out our 
lives heartily in Thy service. Make us willing in all 
respects to deny ourselves, that we may live unto Thee. 
Teach us to enter into the spirit of those Christians 



48 SEVENTEENTH MORNING. 

and Apostles of old, who counted not their lives dear 
unto themselves, so that they might finish their course 
with joy : and who rejoiced that they were counted 
worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ ; who, 
living in unity and godly love, were seen striving to- 
gether for the faith of the Gospel, in nothing terrified by 
their adversaries. 

Grant unto every member of this family Thy peace, 
and all Thy heavenly consolations : and make us to be 
of one heart and one mind, praising Thee for Thy mer- 
cies, praying to Thee for Thy grace, and uniting in the 
confession of our daily sins before Thee. 

Establish us in Thy faith, and fear, and love ; and 
enlighten us, that we may understand Thy whole will 
concerning us. Where w^e mistake, have pity on our 
errors ; and if we have wandered from the right way, 
do Thou in mercy bring us back. Lead us, O Lord, 
into the paths of righteousness and peace. And, if we 
have in any measure attained to the knowledge of Thy 
truth, may we bring our faith into active exercise. May 
Ave watch our hearts, and bridle our tongues, and govern 
our tempers. May we be ready to forgive, even as we 
hope to be forgiven. May we be stedfast, and im- 
moveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, 
knowing that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. 

We now commit ourselves to Thee for this day ; 
help us to live according to these our prayers ; and thus 
may we be prepared for Thy heavenly kingdom : we 
ask it for our Saviour's sake. 

Our Father, ^-c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



EIGHTEENTH MORNING, 

Most merciful and gracious God, we kneel down 
to thank Thee for Thy protection and care during the past 
night : and we now lift up our voice unto Thee in the 
morning, imploring Thee this day to bless us ; watch- 
ing over us by Thy merciful providence ; putting Thy 
Spirit within us, and delivering us from all evil. 

We are prone, O Lord, to fall into sin. How many 
incidents, every day, arise, which, if Thy grace be with- 
held from us, draw forth our natural corruptions ! We, 
therefore, pray Thee, who knowest our frame, and 
foreseest the trials which are to come upon us, merci- 
fully to prepare us for them ; and enable us, amidst the 
various difficulties, temptations, and sorrows of life, to 
walk as the patient followers of Christ, and as the 
faithful servants ef the Most High God. 

We bless Thee, O God, for all Thy goodness to us 
in times past : — for every trial which Thou hast light- 
ened ; for every difficulty and snare which Thou hast 
taken out of our way ; and for every affliction which 
Thou hast either sanctified or removed. 

We thank Thee, that we are here met together, in so 
much peace and comfort, to offer up our praises to 
Thee ; we thank Thee, that we are yet in the land of 
the living ; having time given us for repentance,- and, 
having every opportunity of knowing Thy Holy Will. 
We thank Thee for all Thine unnumbered mercies ; 
for our health and strength, and all our worldly goods ; 
for our friends and kind benefactors ; and we pray that 

5 



50 EIGHTEENTH MORNING. 

\vc may, each of us in our stations, be inslrumenls in 
Thy hand for the benefit of our fellow-creatures, and at 
the same time, faithful witnesses, in the world, of the 
truth and excellency of Thy Gospel. 

O Lord, grant that this day, we may walk in a man- 
ner w^orthy of om* great obligations to Thee, and of our 
high and heavenly calling. May we remember both 
Thy spiritual and temporal mercies, and be occupied in 
acts of grateful obedience to Thee. And we pray Thee 
to impress upon us more deeply those truths of Thy 
Gospel, by which our hearts become prepared for every 
good and beneficent work. May we think of that Sa- 
viour who died on the cross for us ; who endured all 
the extremities of misery that we might be saved, and 
is now at Thy riglit liand, making intercession for us. 
May we remember our Christian profession ; living as 
believers in this crucified Lord, deeply aft'ected with 
the remembrance of His death, and animated by His 
glorious resm-rection. May we all die unto sin, and 
hve unto righteousness ; and, as He, who hath called 
us, is Holy, may we also be holy in all manner of con- 
versation. We pray, O Lord, for Thv protection this 
day : and may we faithfully follow Him whose name 
we bear ; may we have hope in His mercy, and may 
we at length enter into His glory. 

Our Father, ^-c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^-c. 



NINETEENTH MORNING. 

O Lord, God Almighty, our Creator, Preserver, 
and Benefactor, we desire to thank Thee for all Thy 
past mercies ; at the same time beseeching Thee to 
give us Thy continual grace, and to pour down Thy 
blessing upon us. 

We pray Thee to conduct us by Thy merciful prov- 
idence in our passage through this life ; to defend us 
amidst our many dangers ; to save us from every trial, 
which we are too weak to endure ; and so to order 
all the circumstances which befall us, that we may 
not be overpowered with difficulties, nor overwhelmed 
with temptations, which may come upon us unpre- 
pared. 

Preserve us, O Lord, from day to day, and from 
year to year. Give us grace to hate sin, and to avoid 
those societies and employments, which would lead our 
hearts from Thee. May our eyes be opened to see the 
wickedness around us ; and may we carefully abstain 
from all conformity to the sinful customs of this evil 
world. But when we reflect on the many hindrances 
to our leading a Christian life ; when we contemplate 
our temptations, both from within and from without ; 
when we look back to the past instances of our weak- 
ness, and forward to the yet untried scenes of danger 
and of difficulty, through which we may, each of us, 
have to pass before we leave the world, — on Thee, O 
Lord, and on Thee alone, are we led to trust ; and to 
Thee do we lift up our daily prayer, for grace to pre- 



52 NINETEENTH MORNING. 

serve us in the paths of righteousness, so that we may 
end our days in peace, 

O Lord, grant unto us, this day, Thy Holy Spirit. 
Keep alive in our souls the sense of spiritual things. 
Impress us with a recollection of the great truths which 
we have been taught. Fill us with a knowledge of 
those doctrines of Thy Gospel, which Thou hast ap- 
pointed to be the means of delivering man from sin, and 
of preserving him in the ways of holiness, in the midst 
of an ungodly world. 

Enable us to walk worthy of the Lord throughoui 
the day which is now before us. May we be obedient 
to Thy will, submissive to Thy providence, and ever 
thankful for Thy mercies. 

Hear, O Lord, and answer these our prayers ; for« 
give us also our numberless transgi'essions, and accept 
our imperfect services, for Thy mercies' sake in Jesus 
Christ our Lord. 

Our Father y ^-c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c^ 



TWENTIETH MORNING. 

O Lord, God Almighty, whose creatures we are, 
to whom our prayers are constantly addressed, and 
whom we daily profess to serve, bestow upon us Thv 
grace, that we may yield up to Thee our hearts, and 
place our delight in acts of obedience to Thee. Wc 
beseech Thee so to strengthen our faith^ and to animate 
our hearts with Thy continual love, that we may be 
enabled to triumph over those temptations to which we 
are exposed. Give us Thy Holy Spirit ; turn us from 
ihe love of sin, if we are in any measure inclining to it ; 
and put into us such an ardent desire to please Thee, 
that we may be always employing our time and talents 
in Thy service. We desire to acknowledge Thy right 
over us ; we are bound to honour Thee by all we do, 
and to seek our Maker's glory. 

We thank Thee, O Lord, that besides our obliga- 
tions as creatures to the great Author of our existence. 
Thou hast added the most affecting motives to win us 
to obedience. We are not our own : we are bought 
with a price. Thy Son hath died to save us. He hath 
suffered on the cross, that we might be free. He hath 
given his life a ransom for us ; that He might constrain 
us by the greatness of His love, to give up our powers to 
Him. Grant, therefore, O Lord, that we, being daily 
mindful of what our Saviour hath done for us, may show 
that we are sensible of our obligations, by the habitual 
readiness of our minds to do and suffer all things which 
Thou shalt appoint for us, or in any v^ise require of us. 

5* 



54 TWENTIETH MORNING. 

Enable us, O Lord, this day to deny ourselves, that 
we may live unto Thee. As the redeemed of the Lord, 
may we abstain from sin, and flee from every snare. 
May we be holy in all manner of conversation ; awfully 
impressed with a sense of Thy holiness, knowing that 
we are called to become pure in heart, if we hope to 
see God. And help us to contend with the iniquity of 
the world around us. Let us not yield to its influence 
and example ; but let us consider ourselves as passing 
on to a better country ; accounting it our great concern 
to escape from the snares which now surround us ; ta 
make sure, each of us, our own salvation ,•; and to be 
doing good, before we die, with the talents committed 
to us. Thus may we pass the day which is now be-^ 
fore us ; and,^ when the hour of our death shall come^ 
may we then have abundant proof, that we have walked 
by faith, and not by sight ; and that we shall be num~ 
bered with Thy chosen people, in glory everlasting. 

We present these our imperfect supplications, in the 
name of Jesus Christ our Saviour, 

Our Father, ^c^ 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



TWENTY-FIRST MORNING. 

Almighty and everlasting Gob ! we acknowledge 
ourselves bound by innumerable obligations^ to praise 
and adore, to love and serve Thee, From Thee we 
have received our being. Thou art our constant pre- 
server, and bountiful benefactor ; the source of every 
present enjoyment, and of all our hopes. Thou hast^ 
in Thine infinite condescension, been pleased to look 
down with pity on our fallen race ; and freely to offer 
salvation to us through Jesus Christ. We adore Thee, 
for the promises of Thy mercy and grace, and for the 
joyful prospect of eternal life, so clearly revealed in 
Thy holy word. Impress our- minds, O Lord, with 
that deep sense of the important truths made known to 
us, which shall regulate all our thoughts, and words,, 
and actions. 

But while we celebrate Thy goodness to us, we have 
cause to be ashamed of our conduct. We have great 
reason, O Lord, to be humbled before Thee, on ac- 
count of the coldness and insensibility of our hearts ; 
the disorder and irregularity of our lives ; and the prev- 
alence of worldly affections within us. Too often have 
Ave indulged the tempers which we ought to have sub- 
dued, and have left our duty unperformed. O Lord, 
be merciful to us for Thy Son Jesus Christ^s sake. 
Produce in us deep repentance, and a lively faith in that 
Saviour who hath died for our sins, and risen again for 
our justification. 

And may Thy pardoning mercy be accompanied with 



56 TWENTY-FmST MORNING. 

the sanctifying influence of Thy Spirit ; that we may 
no more sin against Thee, but may Hve from henceforth, 
as becomes the redeemed of the Lord, and the candi- 
dates for a happy immortahty. Put Thy fear into our 
hearts, that we may nevermore depart from Thee. Fix 
our affections on those things which are eternal. Con- 
vince us more eff'ectually of the vanity of this world, 
and its insufficiency to make us happy ; of the evil of 
sin, and its tendency to make vis miserable ; of the value 
of our souls, and the awfulness of that everlasting state, 
on the borders of which we stand. 

We also desire to thank Thee for the watchful care 
of Thy providence during the past night. We have 
lain down to sleep ; and, blessed be Thy name, we 
have arisen in safety. May the lives which Thou hast 
prolonged be devoted to Thy service. O Lord, con- 
tinue to us Thy favour and protection on this day. Save 
us from sin, and from all evil. Enable us faithfully to 
perform every relative duty. May we as a family dwell 
together in peace. May we subdue every angry passion ; 
and, loving Thee with a supreme affection, may we 
love each other with pure hearts, fervently. Preserve 
us from those temptations to which we are daily ex- 
posed. Make us sensible of our weakness, so that our 
hearts may be often raised to Thee, in humble and 
fervent supplications for Thy grace. When we are in 
company, may it be our care to do and to receive good. 
When we are alone, may we remember that our heav- 
enly Father is with us. 

Bless the President of these United States, and all 
who are in authority. Be favourable to this nation 



TWENTY-SECOND MORNING. 67 

Save us from the evil designs of our enemies ; and con- 
tinue to us, if it please Tbee, the blessing of peace. 

Visit all mankind v^^ith the light of Thy Gospel ; and 
let its influence increase in this land. 

In tender mercy, regard all who are in affliction. 
Grant unto our dear friends and relations every blessing 
which is needful for them. May they and we experi- 
ence Thy favour in this life, and in the world to come, 
life everlasting. 

We offer up these our imperfect prayers in the name 
of Jesus Christ aur Lord. 

Our Father^ ^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^e. 



TWENTY-SECQND MORNING. 

O Lord God-, our Heavenly Father, uTito whom all 
hearts are open, and from whom no secrets are hid, we 
beseech Thee to look down on us Thy servants ; who 
desire now, with true humility of soul, to offer up unto 
Thee our prayers and supplications. We thank Thee 
for Thy merciful protection during the past night ; and 
we adore that goodness which hath hitherto supplied 
our wants, and hghtened our troubles ; which hath pre- 
served our lives, in the midst of dangers ; and hath 
caused us to lie down, and rise up, in peace and safety. 

We pray Thee to preserve us this day from eviL 



68 TWENTY-SECOND MORNING. 

Save us from all things which afflict the body, and 
especially from whatsoever can hurt the soul. May we 
go forth in Thy strength, to contend against the world, 
the flesh, and the Devil ; and to fulfil the various duties 
of our Christian calling. Save us from the sins which 
most easily beset us. Preserve us from idleness and 
negligence, as well as from presumptuous transgres- 
sions ; and deliver us from that insensibility of con- 
science, which might lead us to justify ourselves, though 
living a careless and unprofitable life. Grant unto us 
such knowledge of Thee, that we may love Thee above 
all things, and earnestly desire to obey every precept 
of Thy holy word. Teach us to redeem the time ; to 
be watchful and circumspect ; and to abstain from all 
appearance of evil. Teach us to be fervent in spirit, 
serving the Lord, and to be never w^eary of well-doing : 
and let us take continual care, lest, through some lib- 
erty in which we indulge ourselves, we should draw 
others into sin, or should cause the Gospel, which we 
profess, to be evil spoken of. 

O Lord, help us also seriously to consider the short- 
ness of life, and the nearness of death and of eternity ; 
that, whatsoever our hands find to do, we may do it 
with all our might. Let us have our loins girded and 
our lamps burning, and be as servants waiting for their 
Lord. Let us not say in our hearts, that our Lord 
delayeth his coming ; but let us remember, that the day 
of our death may overtake us suddenly : and that 
blessed is that servant whom his Lord when He Com- 
eth shall find watching. 

And grant, most merciful God, that when at length 



TWENTY-SECOND MORNING. 59 

we shall be called before Thine awful throne, to give 
account to Him who is the Judge of quick and dead, 
we may hear that joyful sentence proclaimed in our 
ears : " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the 
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the 
world :" — may our portion then be with the children of 
God, and our inheritance among the saints I 

We beseech Thee to bless all our friends and rela- 
tions. Pardon their sins ; supply their temporal as well 
as spiritual wants ; and conduct them safely, through all 
the temptations and dangers of this evil world, to the 
same land of everlasting rest and peace. 

Have mercy on all for whom we are bound to pray : 
succour the tempted ; comfort the dejected ; sustain 
those who are bowed down wdth age, or with infirmity, 
and are drawing near to death. Have pity on all thine 
afflicted servants, and enable them to believe, that whom 
the Lord loveth He chasteneth ; and that, through much 
tribulation, they shall enter into the Kingdom of God. 
And give unto each of us grace to feel for the various 
wants of others, and to minister liberally to their relief. 

We offer up these our humble and imperfect prayers, 
in the name of our only Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, SfC. 



TWENTY-THIRD MORNING. 

Blessed God, who hast caused the Holy Scriptures 
to be written for our learning, grant unto us, we beseech 
Thee, such faith in the truth of Thy holy word, that we 
maybe made partakers of Thine everlasting promises, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Dispose our minds to receive, with meekness, every 
doctrine which Thou hast revealed ; and save us from 
that spiritual blindness and ignorance which naturally 
overspread our minds. Teach us to know Thee our 
God : to adore Thee for Thy greatness ; to admire 
Thee for Thy holiness ; and to love Thee for Thy 
goodness to the children of men. 

Open Thou our eyes, that we may perceive ourselves 
to be sinners in Thy sight, — partakers of a fallen 
nature, as well as actual transgressors against Thee : 
and make us to feel, that we stand in continual need, 
both of Thy pardoning mercy, and of Thy quickening 
grace. Enable us to receive Jesus Christ as the only 
Saviour of our souls ; and, while we trust in the merits 
of His death, and in the efficacy of His intercession, let 
us acknowledge Him as our Lord, whom we are bound 
unreservedly to obey. 

Give us grace, also, to believe the awful threatenings 
of Thy word. Thou hast declared to us, that the day 
is coming when all who are in their graves shall come 
forth, — they, that have done good, to the resurrection 
of life ; and they, that have done evil, to the resurrec- 
tion of condemnation. Help us to preserve in our minds 



TWENTY-THIRD MORNING. 61 

the remembrance of this approaching Judgment ; that 
we may not dare to sin against Thee, but may abound 
in all those fruits of holiness which Thou wilt acknow- 
ledge and approve in the Great Day of Jesus Christ. 

And we pray Thee, Lord, to dispose our minds 
to receive, with the true obedience of faith, every part 
of Thy holy word. May it be made profitable to us for 
doctrine, for correction, for reproof, for instruction in 
righteousness : that we may be thoroughly furnished 
for every good work. May we be prepared by it, not 
only for this our daily employment of prayer, and praise, 
and thanksgiving, but for all the duties of our Christian 
calling. May we keep continually in our minds those 
things which we have learnt : — and, putting on the 
whole armour of God, may we be enabled to stand fast 
in every evil day ; and to overcome the world, the flesh, 
and the Devil. 

Defend us, O Lord, we most humbly beseech Thee, 
from all evil. Save us from the sins which most easily 
beset us. Let us command our tempers, and restrain 
our tongues. Let us add to our faith, virtue ; and to 
virtue, knowledge ; and to knowledge, temperance ; and 
to temperance, patience ; and to patience, brotherly 
kindness ; and to brotherly kindness, charity. Let us 
be rich in good works, to the praise and glory of Thy 
name. And while we are thus receiving Thy truths 
into an honest heart, and are endeavouring, by Thy 
grace assisting us, to walk according to the precepts 
of Thy written word ; may Thy Providence direct our 
steps in life, and watch over us, for good. Defend us, 
we beseech Thee, to the end of our lives ; and let Thy 

6 



62 TWENTY-FOURTH MORNING. 

good Spirit abide within us, that we may not faint 
in our Christian course, nor become weary of well- 
doing. 

We pray for Thy blessing on all our friends and rela- 
tions. May they walk by the light of the same blessed 
Gospel. May both they and we possess, in this world, 
knowledge of Thy truth ; and, in the world to come, 
life everlasting. 

We offer up these and all our supplications in the 
name of Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Re- 
deemer. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



TWENTY-FOURTH MORNING. 

O Lord, our Heavenly Father, through whose provi- 
dential goodness, we are now permitted to see the light 
of another day, grant unto us grace to devote the lives 
which Thou lengthenest, to Thy service. 

Assist us in all the duties to which we shall be called 
this day : and direct us to those employments which 
shall be fittest for us. Thou hast appointed unto every 
man his work in life : help us to be faithful and diligent 
in our calling ; to be, at the same time, cheerful and 
contented with our lot ; and, amidst all our earthl)'- oc- 
cupations, to be mindful of a better world. Deliver us 



TWENTY-FOURTH MORNING. 63 

from all those anxieties and cares by which we are too 
apt to be disturbed. 

We desire to remember that our life is as a shadow 
which soon passeth away ; and that the difficulties and 
trials, which we must meet with here, will soon cease 
for ever. Teach us, also, moderation in our temporal 
enjoyments. May we chiefly desire those spiritual 
blessings which bring comfort to the soul. O grant 
vmto us pardon of our sins, and a true faith in Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. Enable us to lay hold on the prom- 
ises of Thy Gospel ; and to delight ourselves with the 
sense of Thy favour here, and with the hope of eternal 
life hereafter. And make all things to work together 
for our good. Be Thou pleased so to order the events 
of our lives, that we may see continual reason to praise 
Thee for Thy dispensations towards us ; and thus, 
being guided by Thy providence, and sanctified by 
Thy Spirit, may we attain at length to the end of our 
faith, even the salvation of our souls. 

We pray, also, for all our dear friends and relations. 
Pardon, O Lord, their trespasses and sins ; and make 
them partakers of the promises of Christ in His Gospel. 
Lead them through their various temptations and trials : 
— make them happy in themselves ; and blessings to 
us, and to all around them. 

Have pity on the sons and daughters of affliction : — 
sanctify to them their troubles in this life ; and teach 
them to rejoice in the Lord amidst all their worldly 
tribulation. Bless the rising generation ; and may there 
be never wanting in this land a seed to serve Thee. 

We pray, especially, that the children of this family 



64 TWENTY-FIFTH MORNING. 

may he brought up in Thy fear. May the Lord save 
them from this evil world. May the Lord " strengthen, 
stablish, and settle'^ them ; and, after a life full of good 
works, give them an abundant entrance into His heav- 
enly kingdom. 

We present these our imperfect prayers, in the name 
of Jesus Christ, our ever-blessed Redeemer. 

Our Father, (^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



TWENTY-FIFTH MORNING. 

Almighty and ever-blessed God, who art the 
Father of all the families of the earth, and the ever- 
present help of those v^ho put their trust in Thee — who 
hast sustained us amidst the weakness of infancy ; hast 
guided us in youth ; and preserved us during our ad- 
vancing years ; — who, by Thy providence, hast united 
us in one household ; — who hast supplied our wants, 
and abundantly provided, as well for our bodies, as for 
our souls ; — who hast delivered us from some of the 
scenes of temptation, and of sorrow, to which we see 
others exposed ; and permittest us to lie down, and rise 
up, in peace and safety ; — We are now met together to 
thank Thee for the mercies of the past night, and to 
acknowledge that it is by Thy power and goodness 
alone that we are preserved from day to day. O Lord, 



TWENTY-FIFTH MORNING. 65 

protect us this day from evil. Go Thou forth with us 
to the several duties of our stations ; and enable us to 
do all things in Thy fear, and to Thy glory. 

We beseech Thee to put Thy Spirit into our heart, 
that we may not depart from Thee ; nor forget any of 
Thy commandments. May we serve Thee with hum- 
ble, patient, and quiet minds ; and may our love abound 
both towards Thee, and towards all men. Deliver us 
from those angry tempers to which our natures are so 
prone ; and from all those sins which war against the 
soul. And may we grow in grace : — may we, more 
and more, prevail over the temptations by which we 
have formerly been overcome. May we lay aside every 
weight, and the sins which have most easily beset us ; 
ever looking unto Him who is the Author and Finisher 
of our faith, and pressing towards the mark of the prize 
of our high calling, in Christ .Tesus. May we remem- 
ber that, in due time, w^e shall reap if we faint not ; and 
may we be stedfast, immoveable, always abounding in the 
work of the Lord ; — may we be faithful, even unto death ; 
knowing that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. 

We pray far Thy special blessing on the employ- 
ments in w^hich we shall this day engage. May we 
undertake nothing which is contrary to Thy will ; and 
may our good endeavours be crov/ned by Thee with 
success. We would remember, that, w^ithout Thee, 
we can do nothing : — that without the concurrence of 
Thy providence, we can fulfil no purpose of our minds ; 
and that we can do nothing spiritually good without the 
aid of Thy grace : — unto Thee, therefore, let our eyes 
be continually lifted up. 

6* 



66 TWENTY-FIFTH MORNING. 

Bless, O Lord, every member of this family. [Grant 
unto the children a spirit of docility and obedience,} 
[Make every servant to know the duties of his station^ 
and to maintain a conscience void of offence :] and may 
none of us forget Thee our God, nor be indifferent to 
the great and glorious hope which Thou hast set before 
us. O grant, that, in all our works — begun, continued, 
and ended in Thee, — ^we may, each of us, glorify Thy 
holy name ; and, finally, by Thy mercy, obtain ever- 
lasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Have m.ercy on all our friends and relations. Pity 
the poor and the afflicted. Give peace to those wha 
are troubled in mind ; and supply the various necessi- 
ties of all Thy creatures. 

We ask every blessing, in the name of Jesus Christ, 

Our Father^ <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



TWENTY-SIXTH MORNING. 

Almighty and most merciful God [ We beseech 
Thee to pour down Thy blessing on us Thy servants, 
who are now assembled to worship Thy holy name. 

Thou art infinitely great and glorious ! Before Thee, 
the angels veil their faces ; and the heavens are not 
pure in Thy sight ! We are weak, and helpless ; sin- 
ful, and corrupt ; exposed to dangers on every side, and 
in continual need of Thy gracious assistance. O Lord, 
preserve us through this day. By Thee we have been 
protected during the night. Continue to us Thy wonted 
care ; and guard, we pray Thee, both our bodies and 
our souls from every kind of evil. 

We are now entering on the duties of our several 
callings. May the Lord enable each of us to be faith- 
ful and diligent in them ; as those who must hereafter 
" give account of all things done in the body," to Him 
who is the Judge of quick and dead. 

We desire to remember that Thine eye seeth us 
wheresoever we are ; and pierceth CTen into our inmost 
thoughts. We pray, therefore, that all our most secret 
ways may be pleasing unto Thee, O Thou searcher of 
hearts ! Let us not attempt to deceive either ourselveSy 
or those around us, by the mere appearance of good- 
ness ; but may we have the testimony of our conscien- 
ces, that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have our 
conversation in the Avorld. 

Give us grace to overcome our sinful appetites and 
passions ; to mortify our pride ; and to bring every 



68 TWENTY-SIXTH MORNING. 

member of our bodies, and every faculty of our souls, 
into captivity to the law of Christ. May we put away 
all hatred and variance, all anger and strife, all malice 
and evil-speaking ; and may this day be a day of peace 
and harmony to every member of this family ; that so, 
when we assemble again to worship Thee at night, our 
prayers may be accepted, being the offering of those 
who dwell together in love ; and who have learnt to 
forgive one another, even as they hope to be forgiven. 

We pray Thee to bless the events which shall befal 
us on this day. Thou, O Lord, orderest all things for 
us ; and we know not what a day may bring forth. O 
sanctify to us our. prosperity, and our adversity ; our 
health, and our sickness ; our daily comforts and enjoy- 
ments, as well as our anxieties and disappointments. 
Purify our hearts, more and more, by the various dis- 
pensations of Thy providence ; and fit us, by the sev- 
eral vicissitudes of this mortal life, for that gre^t and 
final change which we must soon experience. 

We desire, also, to pay unto Thee our grateful thanks 
for Thy past mercies. Thou hast sustained us in our 
infancy ; hast guided us in youth ; and hast preserved 
us during our advancing years. Thou hast often raised 
us when we have been brought low : — Thovi hast suc- 
coured us in trouble ; hast delivered us in sickness ; 
and healed all om' infirmities. While others have fallen,^ 
we have been kept alive. Day after day, we remain 
the monuments of Thy mercy ; and comforts surround 
us on every side. O Lord, we bless Thy name for 
what is past ; and we pray, that the remembrance of 
Thy goodness may lead us to repentance ; and may 



TWENTY-SIXTH MORNING. 69 

make us careful to walk according to Thy will, for the 
days which are yet to come. Pardon our many offen- 
ces ; and grant us perfect remission of our sins, for the 
sake of Jesus Christ. 

We further beseech Thee to bestow Thy blessing on 
our dear friends and relations. Thou hast encouraged 
and commanded us to intercede for one another ; and 
we desire, therefore, most earnestly to commend to Thy 
fatherly care all those whom it is our duty to remember 
in our prayers. We entreat Thee to be merciful to 
those who have at any time shown us mercy : — to pity 
the poor and the afflicted — to strengthen the weak — and 
to comfort the desponding mind. 

Have mercy on the rising generation. Save them 
from the follies and ignorances of their youth ; and 
raise them up to be a seed to serve Thee, when we 
shall be gathered to our fathers. 

Hear us, O Lord, in these our prayers and interces- 
sions, for the sake of our only Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Our Father, 4*c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



TWENTY-SEVENTH MORNING. 

Almighty and everlasting God, who art the Au- 
thor of our being, the Preserver of our Uves, and the 
Giver of every blessing which we enjoy : — unto Thee 
do we now direct our Prayer, beseeching Thee this day 
to supply our returning wants and necessities. Grant 
unto us all things needful both for the body and soul : 
and especially, vouchsafe unto us pardon of our sins, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

We confess, that we are unworthy of Thy favour ; 
for we have continually trespassed against Thee : but 
Thou art good, and gracious, unto those who freely 
acknowledge their transgressions, and cast thennselves 
on Thy mercy. O Lord, we pray, that we, being 
delivered from the fear of Thy wrath, through a lively 
faiih in Jesus Christ Thy Son, may serve Thee with 
cheerful and quiet minds ; and may partake in all the 
consolations of Thy Spirit as well as walk in the way 
of Thy commandments. 

We pray for integrity and diligence in our several 
callings. May we this day remember that Thine eye 
is upon us. May we carefully avoid hypocrisy, and 
deceit, and every approach to dishonesty and unfaith- 
fulness. May we, also, watch against pride, and van- 
ity ; against envy, and hatred ; against selfishness, and 
covetousness ; and against whatsoever sin may most 
easily beset us. May we each fulfil our proper work 
with humility of mind ; and approve ourselves not only 



TWENTY-SEVENTH MORNING. 71 

to those around us, but to Thee, O God, who searchest 
the heart. 

May we, Hkewise, exercise fervent charity towards 
all men. Teach us to weep with them that weep, and 
to rejoice with them that rejoice ; and to minister, to the 
utmost of our opportunities and abilities, to the various 
wants of our fellow-creatures : following the example 
of our Lord and Saviour, who hath taught us that '^ it 
is more blessed to give than to receive." And grant 
unto us grace in every respect to adorn by our lives 
that holy Gospel which we profess. 

We pray Thee, also, to guide our future steps. Be 
Thou our constant helper and defender, ordaining for 
us that condition in life which shall most conduce to 
our eternal welfare. If Thou sendest trouble, impart 
unto us strength to bear it ; and save us from those 
temptations which might prove the occasion of our 
falling. If prosperity be our lot, give us grace to be 
thankful for it ; and to use with moderation our several 
enjoyments. May we remember that the time is short 
— that our light affliction is but for a moment — that our 
earthly pleasures, also, will soon be past — that all the 
glory of man is but as the flower of the grass — and that 
the fashion of this world passeth away. 

We would, further, intercede w^ith Thee in behalf 
of all our friends and relations. Bless them in their 
persons, in their families, and in all their undertakings. 
Grant unto them the comforts of Thy grace here ; and 
make them finally partakers of glory everlasting. 

We implore Thee to bestow Thy special favour on 
the rising generation. Save them from the contagion 



72 TWENTY-SEVENTH MORNING. 

of this vain and evil world. Watch over them during 
the weakness and inexperience of their youth ; and 
prepare them for the duties to which Thy providence 
shall call them. 

We commend to Thy fatherly care the poor, and des- 
titute ; the prisoner, and captive ; the sick, and the 
afflicted. Send help from above to those who are under 
sore temptations : — strengthen the feeble knees, and 
raise up those who have fallen : — and teach us all to 
exercise patience, and forbearance, and loving kindness, 
towards each other. 

We offer these our imperfect prayers, in the name 
of our only Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



TWENTY-EIGHTH MORNING. 

O Lord God, our Heavenly Father, who art th 
Giver of all good things, we desire to thank Thee for 
Thy mercies during the past night, and for all the num- 
berless blessings which we enjoy. We Avould begin 
this day with Thy solemn worship ; thus acknowledg- 
ing Thine hand in the bounties of Thy providence, and 
professing our gratitude and obedience unto Thee. We 
would, also, praise Thee for the gift of Jesus Christ 
Thy Son, by whom we obtain pardon of sin, and all 
things necessary for our everlasting salvation. Adored 
be Thy name that Thou hast not left us in ignorance 
of Thee ; but hast given us Thy holy word; and hast 
caused us to abound with the means of grace. We 
would daily remember these Thy spiritual gifts ; and 
we would now resolve to spend this day in a manner 
worthy of our Christian profession. 

Assist us, O Lord, by Thy Holy Spirit, to bring 
these our prayers to good effect. Strengthen us against 
our temptations : — direct us in every difficulty : — -com- 
fort us in all our sorrows, and adversities ; and enable 
us to fulfil every part of that Christian duty in which 
we have been instructed. 

May we love our neighbour as ourselves ; and do 
unto all men as we would that they should do unto us. 
May we honour and obey the civil authority. May we 
submit ourselves to all our governors and teachers. Maj^ 
we hurt nobody by word or deed. May we be true and 
just in all our dealings ; and bear no malice nor hatred 

7 



74 TWENTY-EIGHTH MORNING. 

in our hearts. May we keep our hands from sleahng ; 
and our tongues from evil-speaking, lying, and slander- 
ing. May we preserve our bodies in temperance, so- 
berness, and chastity. May we not covet other men's 
goods ; but learn, and labour truly, to get our living ; 
and to do our duty in that state of life to which it hath 
pleased God to call us. 

Pardon all our negligence in time past ; and give us 
grace continually to examine ourselves ; and to amend 
our lives according to Thy holy word. 

We desire to add our humble supplications for all 
those Avhom it is our duty to remember in our prayers. 
Have compassion on the poor and the afflicted : — send 
them help, Lord, in their hour of need ; and sustain 
them with Thy heavenly consolations, when all human 
aid shall fail. We praj^ for the young and the ignorant : 
— may they be instructed in the way in which they 
ought to walk ; and may they become instruments by 
which the knowledge of Thee and of Thy Son Jesus 
Christ shall extend to distant generations. 

Hear us, O Lord, in these our imperfect prayers, 
which we humbly present to Thee, in the name of our 
blessed Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Oii7^ Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, (^c. 



FIRST SUNDAY MORNING. 

Almighty and ever-blessed God ! Thou art the 
Kins Eternal, Immortal, and Invisible : Thou sittestin 
the highest heavens ; and art exalted above all blessing 
and praise : — before Thee the angels veil their faces ; 
and the heavens are not pure in Thy sight. Thou didst 
create all things : — Thou upholdest all things : — Thou 
sustainest the lives of the creatures whom Thou hast 
made :— And Thou governest all events, by Thine un- 
ceasing Providence. Thou art continually present w^ith 
us ; and seest the secrets of all hearts ; — and Thou wilt 
hereafter, bring every work into judgment, whether it 
be good, or whether it be evil. 

We bless Thee, that, of Thy great goodness. Thou 
hast sent Thy Son Jesus Christ to redeem for ever 
from death and hell our immortal souls, which were 
made in Thine own image ; and that Thou hast given 
us an assurance of our own resurrection, by raising Him 
from the dead on the third day. 

We praise Thee for these Thy sabbaths, on which 
we maintain a perpetual commemoration of this victory 
of our once crucified and now ascended Lord ; and are 
continually instructed, by the ministers of His gospel, 
in all things which concern our everlasting salvation. 
Grant, we beseech Thee, that we may this day hear 
Thy sacred word with reverence and holy fear, with 
serious and deep attention, and with all humility and 
thankfulness. Enable us to join in the prayers of Thy 
people, with devout and contrite hearts ; and be Thou 



7t> FIRST SUNDAY MORNING, 

pleased so to bless both our public worship, and our 
private meditations, that we may be made partakers of 
Thine everlasting promises in Christ Jesus, and may 
advance in all holiness. 

O Lord, strengthen our faith on this day by means 
of those religious exercises in which we shall engage : 
— deliver us from every slavish fear of Thy wrath ; — 
fix our hope on our ever-blessed Redeemer ; — and give 
us joy and peace in believing. Let us love Thee, for 
the unnumbered bounties of Thy providence ; and, 
especially, for Thy mercies in our redemption through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Give us an increasing sense 
of our unworthiness, and a clearer knowledge of those 
peculiar sins which most easily beset us ; that we may 
more fully comprehend the riches of Thy grace in 
Christ ; and may, also, better know how to reform that 
w^hich hath been evil in us. 

We pray, that Thy Gospel may from time to time 
be so delivered to us,, that we may grow in all wisdom. 
Suffer not, that any of us should continue self-deceived. 
J^et not death overtake us unprepared ; but do Thou, 
by Thy Holy Spirit, give such effect to the preaching 
of Thy word, and to all other means of grace, that we 
may, each of us, heartily repent, and unfeignedly be- 
lieve, and bring forth abundantly fruits meet for repent- 
ance, to the praise and glory of Thy name. 

Let Thy blessing every where accompany the preach^ 
ing of Thy Gospel on this day. May the God of Grace 
pour forth the abundance of His Spirit on the ministers 
and on the hearers. May they who have lived in sin 
be awakened to a sense of their danger. May the un- 



FIRST SUNDAY MORNING. 77 

believers be convinced ; the thoughtless be alarmed ; 
and the weak be strengthened. May the young be 
guided in the right way ; and the afflicted soul be com- 
forted. May the foundation of Thine universal Church 
be enlarged ; and may believers be built up in faith, 
and hope, and love ; and learn to understand what is 
the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 

Bestow Thy special blessing on those who are labour- 
ing to extend in foreign lands the knowledge of a cruci- 
fied Redeemer. Assist them by Thy providence and 
grace, that they may contend successfully against idol- 
atry and superstition. Strengthen them by Thy Holy 
Spirit ; and, in the midst of all their difficulties and 
trials, impart unto them the abundance of Thy consola- 
tions. Open the hearts of many to receive Thy Gospel 
in the love of it. Let every wilderness at length blos- 
som as the rose. Let the light spring up to them who 
have long sat in darkness ; and let the days come when 
the lion shall lie down with the lamb, when wars shall 
cease, and the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the 
earth, as the waters cover the sea. 

Hear us, O Lord, in these our prayers and interces- 
sions, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our only Mediator 
and Redeemer. 

Oi^r Father, (S^c, 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



SECOND SUNDAY MORNING: 

[Communion of The Lord's Supper.} 

Almighty and everlasting God, who didst make 
man in Thine own image ; and, when he had fallen 
from his first estate, didst send Thy Son from heaven 
to save him ; — and who hast appointed the ministers 
of Tl}y w^ord to preach repentance, and remission of 
sins ; and to bring all men to the obedience of faith ; — 
we pray Thee to give us grace this day to hear with 
reverence Thy holy word, [and to profit by Thy sacred 
ordinances \ 

We would enter upon the duties of the Sabbath, 
hmnbly beseeching Thee to impress our minds w4lh 
an earnest desire of those things which concern our 
salvation. Deliver us from the love of this world ; and 
from that multitude of anxieties and cares, to which, 
through the sinfulness and frailty of our nature, w^e are 
continually prone. Elevate our thoughts to things 
above * — convince us of the shortness of time, and of 
the value of eternity ; of the uncertainty of this our 
mortal state ; and of the near approach of that day when 
we shall give account of all things done in the body ; 
and shall hear from Thee our eternal doom. O Lord, 
what is our life : — it is but as a watch in the night :~- 
it is as a vapour that vanisheth away : — it is as the 
gi*ass of the field, which in the evening is cut down and 
withered. But, while we feel and know that we must 
shortly die, and that here all is vanity and vexation of 



SECOND SUNDAY MORNING. 79 

spirit, we desire to bless Thy holy name, that, however 
few and evil may be the days of our pilgrimage, Thou 
hast provided us with many great and glorious hopes, 
which, we trust, shall issue in the final gift of everlast- 
ing life. 

O grant us grace to lay hold on those promises which 
are set before us ; and to give all diligence, that we 
may make our calling and election sure ; and thus may 
that world, in which we dwell, become the door of en- 
trance to a better state ; the passage to a heavenly 
Canaan ; the blessed means of bringing us to Thee, 
our Father, and to Jesus Christ our Saviour, to the 
whole company of angels, and to the spirits of just 
men made perfect. 

We pray Thee to make the present Sabbath instru- 
mental to this holy end. May we examine ourselves, 
and repent of our sins, and renew our vows of obedi- 
ence to Thee. May w^e shake off our indolence and 
self-indulgence ; and leani, more and more, to walk in 
the Spirit, and to mortify the whole body of sin. And 
while we thus strive to purify our souls through the 
love of the truth, may Thy preached word come to us 
with increasing power, and with demonstration of the 
Spirit, and with much assurance. May we grow in the 
knowledge of Thee and of Thy Son Jesus Christ : — 
may we abound more and more in faith, and hope, and 
love : — and may these holy seasons prepare us for that 
rest which remaineth for the people of God. 

O Lord, go forth with us this day to Thy pubhc 
worship ; and pour down upon us Thy Holy Spirit. 
Repress our vain imaginations. Dispose our minds to 



80 SECOND SUNDAY MORNING. 

prayer, and praise ; and to fervent gratitude for Thy 
temporal, as well as spiritual, mercies. [Help us to 
commemorate Thy redeeming love ; and to reneio our 
exercise of faith in Him who died for our si?is, and 
rose again for our justification.] 

We beseech Thee, O Lord, to bless the preaching 
of Thy Gospel on this day to all who shall be the 
hearers of it. Send forth Thy light and Thy truth to 
every part of our benighted world ; and shower down, 
especially on this nation, the abundance of Thy grace, 
through the diligent and faithful ministry of Thy word 
among us. Purify every part of Thy professing Church. 
Unite us in the bonds of a common faith ; and teach us 
all to love one another. 

Give success to every endeavour to enlighten the 
ignorant ; to relieve the poor ; to comfort the afflicted ; 
to deliver the oppressed from him who spoileth him ; 
ar.d to promote peace and good will among men. Pour 
into the hearts of all, who know^ Thy truth, a spirit of 
enlarged benevolence ; and raise up many who shall go 
forth in Thy strength, both to multiply their deeds of 
charity, and to carry Thy Gospel into all lands. 

We offer these our humble and earnest supplications, 
m the name of Jesus Christ, our blessed and onh 
Saviour. 

Our Father, ^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c 



THIRD SUNDAY MORNING. 

Almighty Lord our God, Creator of all things, 
Judge of all men, who art also the merciful . Father of 
all Thy creatures, we adore Thee for Thy great good- 
ness, in providing not only for our temporal necessities, 
but also for the spiritual wants of our souls. 

We thank Thee for Thy holy word, by which we 
are instructed in Thy will, and are made wise unto sal- 
vation. We thank Thee for all the means of grace 
which Thou hast appointed for our edification. We 
thank Thee, also, for these Thy Sabbaths, on which 
our thoughts are called away, from the cares and em- 
ployments of this present life, to the consideration of 
those things which are eternal. 

Grant, O Lord, we beseech Thee, that we may not 
neglect those great religious advantages which we pos- 
sess ; but may attend reverently to the truths which we 
shall this day hear ; and worship Thee with truly hum- 
ble and contrite hearts. Prepare our minds to receive 
the seed which shall this day be sown in them ; and 
suffer not that we should give way to wandering 
thoughts, and to an indolent and worldly spirit. May 
we remember, when we are in the house of God, in 
whose service we are engaged ; and whose word it is 
that we hear ; and, when Thy Gospel is preached, may 
we be so awed by the terrors of the Lord, and so affect- 
ed by the sense of Thy mercy, that we may lay to heart 
those things which we hear ; and may none of us 
receive this grace of God in vain. And when we return 



82 THIRD SUNDAY MORNING. 

from Thy house, dispose us all to consider our ways. 
Let us turn our thoughts to whatever hath been amiss 
in us during the past week : — let us implore Thy mercy 
in our secret prayers : — and let us read w^ith care Thy 
holy scriptures. 

O Lord, help us to consider how few are our days 
on earth ; and how soon we may be called to give up 
our account of the privileges which we have enjoyed, 
and of the talents committed to us. We have only a 
short and uncertain life between us, and — eternal hap- 
piness, or miser)^ O let us now redeem the time ; — 
before the day of our death shall come, and our sen- 
tence be sealed everlastingly. Let us make haste to 
obey Thy voice : — let us be diligent in endeavouring to 
know Thy will ; and to understand the doctrines of Thy 
Gospel. 

And to this end may Thy Spirit enlighten and direct 
us ; — guide us into all truth : — save us from all igno- 
rance, and blindness, and hardness of heart : — preserve 
us from those delusions which are fatal to the soul. Let 
us not speak peace to ourselves, when there is no peace ; 
nor hope that we have an interest in Christ, when we 
have not repented of our sins, and have no true faith in 
His name. Lord, produce in us sincere repentance. 
If we are yet living in sin, show us, w^e pray Thee, our 
danger ; — make us to understand both our own sinful- 
ness, and Thy mercy ; and lead us to that Lamb of 
God, who taketh away the sins of the w^orld. 

Bless, we pray Thee, the ministers of Thy Gospel. 
Do Thou give great success to their labours. May 
they, by the word which they shall deliver, awaken 



FOURTH SUNDAY MORNING. 83 

those who are yet dead in their sins ; and may they 
convince the wavering ; and estabhsh the weak ; and 
comfort the feeble-minded ; and raise up those who are 
fallen : and may Thy true servants be built up in their 
most holy faith, and be made perfect in every good 
work. 

Hear us, most merciful Lord, in these our humble 
supplications, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour. 

Our Father, (^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <S^c. 



FOURTH SUNDAY MORNING. 

Almighty and everlasting God, who didst send 
Thine only Son into the world to die upon the cross, 
and to become a propitiation for sin, and hast promised 
to all who repent and believe in Him, that they shall 
be made heirs of eternal life ; — grant unto us such 
humble and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting 
our misdeeds, may be made partakers of that blessed 
hope, which is set before us in Jesus Christ. 

We also beseech Thee to grant us Thy Holy Spirit, 
that we may not continue to transgress Thy laws, nor 
harden our hearts in unbelief. Turn us, O Lord, from 
our evil ways. Teach us, while we adore Thee for 
Thy redeeming mercy, to live to the praise of that 
Saviour who hath died for us. May we remember that 



84 FOURTH SUNDAY MORNING. 

He, who descended from heaven to save us from con- 
demnation, came also " to redeem us from all iniquit)^ 
and to purify unto Himself a pecuhar people, zealous 
of good works." May we have grace to walk accord- 
ing to His example, and to do whatever is pleasing in 
Thy sight. 

We pray Thee to send Thy blessed Gospel over the 
world. Put an end to infidelity and atheism, to super- 
stition and false religion, to heresy and schism, to igno- 
rance and vice, and to war and discord. Let the nations 
of the earth receive Thy truth in the love of it ; and 
being reconciled to Thee through Jesus Christ, may 
they live in peace and unity. 

We also pray Thee to purify Thy professing church 
in this land. We would lament the iniquity even of 
our holy things ; and would beseech Thee to strengthen 
the faith of Thy servants, and to enlarge their charity, 
that they, being examples of holiness, may lead others, 
who " see their good works, to glorify their Father 
which is in heaven." 

We implore Thy blessing on all the faithful preach- 
ers of Thy word. May Thy grace both prevent and 
follow them ; and may they emmently adorn, by their 
lives, that holy doctrine which they teach. 

Look down in mercy on the rising generation. Put 
into the hearts of parents and teachers zeal for the 
spiritual good of those over whom Thou hast placed 
them. Give them wisdom from above, that they may 
know how to inculcate true and strict religion ; and open 
the minds of the young, that they may receive instruc- 
tion with a teachable spirit ; and, as they grow in years, 



FOURTH SUND7VY MORNING. 85 

may advance not only in useful knowledge, but in all 
virtue, and godliness of life. 

And, finally, we intercede with Thee in behalf of the 
poor and the afflicted. Do Thou, who art the God of 
all consolation, provide for them. Send down help 
from above in every hour of their need ; and turn their 
earthly trials and tribulations to their eternal good. In- 
cline those who are in prosperity, to remember all who 
are in trouble. Teach as many as are rich in this world, 
to be ready to communicate ; and those, who are strong, 
to bear with the infirmities of the weak. 

Into Thy hands, O Lord, we now commit ourselves, 
and all who are dear to us ; beseeching Thee to hear 
these our imperfect prayers and intercessions, for the 
sake of Jesus Christ, our ever blessed Redeemer. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



FIFTH SUNDAY MORNING.. 

O Lord God Almighty, who didst in the beginning 
create the heavens and the earth ; who rulest the world 
by Thine unceasing Providence, and orderest all the 
affairs of men ; who hast made us what we are, and 
hast appointed the time, and the place of our existence ; 
we thank Thee for our creation, preservation, and all 
the blessings of this life ; — We bless Thee, that Thou 
hast not made the wilderness our habitation, nor a 
barren land our dwelling-place ; but that Thou hast 
placed us in the midst of plenty, and of enjoyment. 

We also adore Thee, that Thou hast given us im- 
mortal souls ; and that Thou hast made Thyself known 
unto us, both by the works of Thy hand, and by the 
express revelation of Thy word. We praise Thee, 
that, while the heavens declare Thy glory, and the 
firmament showeth Thy handy-work, Jesus Christ 
hath also descended from heaven, and hath, still more, 
revealed Thy grace unto us. We rejoice that Thy 
power, and Thy greatness, and the excellency of Thy 
wisdom, and also Thine unspeakable love and mercy to 
the creatures whom Thou hast made, have been de- 
clared to us. We adore Thee for all the treasures of 
wisdom and knowledge which are in Jesus Christ ; 
especially for the pardon of our sins through faith in 
His name ; and for the hope which is laid up for us in 
heaven, through His Gospel. 

But we desire to lament, O Lord, that we have not 
rendered unto Thee according to the greatness and 



FIFTH SUNDAY MORNING. 87 

multitude of Thy mercies ; for we have walked after 
the way of our own hearts, and have suffered Thine 
exceeding grace and goodness to be forgotten by us. 
Help us, therefore, with unfeigned sorrow, and con- 
trition of heart, to acknowledge our offences against 
Thee. We confess our worldliness, and thoughtless- 
ness of Ttiee ; our coldness, and indifference in Thy 
service ; our pride, our ambition, and our covetousness. 
We also acknowledge and lament our too irritable tern 
pers, and angry passions, and our too great readiness 
to justify ourselves and to find fault with others. We 
confess our indolence, our waste of time, and our fre- 
quent negligence in our employments. We confess, 
also, all the various sins of our tongues, — our hasty, 
sudden, as well as flattering and deceitful words. We 
confess the want of purity and holiness, in our secret 
thoughts and imaginations. We now pray Thee, O 
God, to pardon our iniquities, for the sake of that Sav- 
iour, in whom Thou hast invited us to trust. And, 
while we exercise this faith, may we condemn ourselves 
on account of our transgressions ; may we resolve to 
forsake them, and to walk henceforth in newness of 
life. 

O God, strengthen us, we pray Thee, by Thy Holy 
Spirit, that we may not fall again under the power of 
our temptations ; but that all our ways may be pleasing 
in Thy sight. O grant, that we who are hearers of Thy 
word, may also always be doers of it, — lest we fall into 
tenfold condemnation. May we remember Thine awful 
punishments denounced against the ungodly, as well as 
the glorious recompense of reward laid up for those 



88 FIFTH SUNDAY MORNING. 

who seek for it by patient continuance in well-doing. 
May we, therefore, lay aside every weight, and the sins 
which do most easily beset us. May we be faithful 
and diligent ; may we put on the whole armour of God ; 
and may we fight manfully under the banners of our 
Saviour, against the world, the flesh, and the Devil ; 
remembering, that to him that overcometh. He will give 
a crown of life. 

Bless unto us the preaching of Thy word this day. 
Grant that it may sink into all our hearts ; and may 
make us anxious to please Thee, and mindful of our 
latter end. And whensoever we may come to die, we 
pray that no terrors may then dismay us ; but that we 
may have so repented of our sins, while we were in life 
and in health, and have so obeyed the voice of God in 
His Gospel, that, trusting in the mercies of Him who 
hath died for us, we may yield up our departing spirit 
to God who gave it, in the hope of a joyful resurrection 
to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, cj-c. 



FIRST SUNDAY EVENING. 

Almighty and everlasting God, we bless Thee 
for Thy great goodness, in creating, and preserving, 
and redeeming us ; and for all Thy various mercies, 
from our birth unto this hour. We adore Thee as the 
Author of all things : but, especially, as our Father and 
our friend, the God of our lives, the source of our hopes, 
and the giver of all spiritual as well as temporal good. 

We desire to praise Thee, on this Thy holy day, for 
the gift of Jesus Christ Thy Son ; by whom we ob- 
tain pardon of sin, and all things necessary for our 
eternal salvation. We thank Thee, that He hath de- 
scended into this our world ; that He hath set us an 
example by His holy life ; hath made atonement for us 
by His painful death ; and, by His resurrection from 
the grave on the third day, hath given assurance, that 
He is able to raise our bodies from the dust, and to 
exalt us to His own right hand in the Kingdom of 
Heaven. 

We pray Thee, O Lord, to impress deeply on our 
minds these great and solemn truths, that we may not 
forget them amidst the cares and occupations of the 
world ; but may be daily reminded of our Christian 
privileges, as well as of the duties to which we are 
called. Convince us of the vanity of the world, of the 
shortness of life, and of the unspeakable importance of 
eternity. Save us from indifference, and thoughtless- 
ness, and levity ; as well as from wickedness and sin. 
Purify our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit ; and teach us 

8* 



90 FIRST SUNDAY EVENING. 

habitually to remember that Thou seest our secret 
thoughts, and requirest truth in the inward parts. 

Pardon, we pray Thee, the multitude of our sins in 
times past, — our pride and vanity, our covetousness and 
worldliness, our anger and passion, our indolence and 
negligence, our too careless performance of the duties 
of our station, and our want of Christian kindness and 
of brotherly love. Pardon, especially, our forgetfulness 
of Thee, our God : for how seldom have we thought 
of Thee ; how coldly have we worshipped Thee ; how 
little have we honoured Thee as we ought ! Thou hast 
caused us to abound with the good things of this life : — 
Thy hand hath protected us : — Thy goodness hath rais- 
ed us, when, through sickness, or calamity, we have 
been brought low : and the knowledge of Thy mercies 
in Jesus Christ hath been added to all Thine other 
blessings : so that we are under peculiar obligations to 
love and serve Thee, and to praise and magnify Thy 
holy name. O Lord, forgive our ingratitude to Thee 
our great Benefactor ; and enable us to trust in Jesus 
Christ, for the remission of every sin, as well as for 
the acceptance of those imperfect services which we 
would offer up unto Thee. 

We pray Thee O Lord, to send Thy blessed Gos- 
pel over the world. May the nations hear the joyful 
sound ; and may Thy kingdom come ; and Thy will 
be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Bless the labours 
of Thy ministers in every place. Fill them with zeal 
for Thine honour, and with love to Thy name. May 
multitudes in this land repent and believe ; and may the 
spirit of true religion both revive among ourselves, and 



FIRST SUNDAY EVENING. 91 

overspread all nations. May Christ be preached, from 
the rising to the setting sun : and may each of us en- 
deavour to recommend those truths which we have been 
taught, that there may be no occasion for the enemies 
of the Gospel to blaspheme. 

We would intercede for all our relations, connexions, 
and friends ; especially for those who are in sorrow, 
sickness, or trouble. Grant unto them those consola- 
tions which Thou only canst bestow. Put into their 
hearts a holy trust in Thee, and a sure hope in Thy 
promises. And may those, who feel that their infirmi- 
ties come upon them, and that their outward frame 
decays, be enabled to believe, that, when earthly things 
fail, they shall have a building of God, a house not 
made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 

Take us now, O God, under Thy gracious care this 
night. Let Thy blessing attend us : and Thy good 
Spirit rest upon us. May the words, which we have 
heard this day, sink into all our hearts : and may we, 
through the ensuing week, rise up, and lie down, at 
peace with Thee, and under a constant sense of Thy 
presence. 

We offer up these our imperfect supplications, in the 
name of Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Redeemer. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



SECOND SUNDAY EVENING. 

Almighty and everlasting God, our Creator, and 
Preserver, and Redeemer, we w^ould now enter into 
Thy sacred presence, under a deep sense of our weak- 
ness and unworthiness, and of Thine unspeakable great- 
ness and majesty. We approach Thee, at the same 
time, as a God of goodness and mercy ; for Thou hast 
made Thyself known to us in Jesus Christ Thy Son ; 
and hast proclaimed pardon to every repenting sinner 
through faith in that sacrifice which He hath offered on 
the cross, for us, the guilty children of men. We de- 
sire to bless Thee for this strong foundation of our 
hope ; and we would now address Thee in the full 
assurance of faith, renouncing all confidence in our- 
selves, rejoicing in Him who is become the hope of all 
the ends of the earth, and is the Lamb slain from the 
foundation of the world ; — who, having died for us, hath 
also risen again, and is now exalted at Thy right hand, 
where He ever liveth to make intercession for us. 

We beseech Thee, O God, to accept for His sake, 
the imperfect worship which we have on this day 
offered up in Thy house. We implore Thee to bless 
to our continual good, the instruction which we have 
this day heard. Having been taught to know Thy will, 
may we be diligent to fulfil it. Thou hast given us 
line upon line, and precept upon precept ; and hast 
placed us in the midst of light and knowledge. O grant 
unto us a true and lively faith in all the doctrines of 



SECOND SUNDAY EVENING. 93 

Thy holy word, and a spirit of unreserved obedience to 
them. 

We pray Thee to make us dihgent and faithful in all 
the occupations of life, to which in Thy providence we 
shall be called. Let us not live in indolence and self- 
indulgence ; but let us endeavour to be useful in our 
generation. Let us be fervent in spirit, serving the 
Lord. Let us walk in Thy fear from day to day ; and in 
all things aim to please our heavenly Father. Make us to 
be the same in secret which we would wish to be in public. 

We beseech Thee to inspire us with a spirit of 
Christian kindness to all around us. Thou hast been 
very bountiful and gracious to us. Thou hast multi- 
plied our temporal comforts ; and Thou pardonest our 
numberless transgressions. O grant that we may follow 
the example of Thy beneficence ; and that we may also 
be like Thee, ready to forgive. May we be watchful 
over ourselves, but tender towards the infirmities of 
others ; full of meekness, and gentleness, and patience, 
and loving-kindness and charity. 

Enlighten us, O Lord, by Thy good Spirit, that we 
may exercise every holy temper, and understand every 
part of our Christian duty. Strengthen us in our sea- 
sons of trial and temptation ; guide us through all the 
difficulties into which we may fall ; and bless us in all 
the scenes of fife through which we may pass. If 
affiiction should come upon us, inspire us with humble 
resignation to Thy will : Thou, O Lord, dost not w^il- 
lingly grieve the children of men ; O visit us not in 
Thine indignation ; but turn the mournful events of Thy 
providence to our spiritual and endless good. 



94 SECOND SUNDAY EVENING. 

Prepare us, by all the events of life, for our great and 
final change ; for we know not how soon it may come 
upon us. May the appointment of Thy sabbaths, and 
the preaching of Thy word, — may every opportunity 
of holy meditation, and of pubhc, social, and secret 
prayer, — and all the other means of edification, which 
we so abundantly possess, concur with the successive 
events of Thy wise and merciful providence, in so cal- 
ling off our minds from this earthly scene, that we may 
be fitted for that everlasting state, on the borders of 
which we stand. May Thy good Spirit sustain and 
strengthen us in our last hours : when the shadows of 
the evening shall come upon us, when age and sickness 
shall arrive, and human help shall fail, be Thou, O 
Lord, the strength of our hearts and our portion for 
evermore ; and let an abundant entrance be ministered 
unto us into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and 
Saviour. 

With these prayers for ourselves, we desire to join 
our intercessions for others also. Bless our President, 
and all who are in authority : [give loisdom to our 
houses of Congress ;] and inspire all orders of men 
with the spirit of cheerful obedience to Thy laws. Save 
us from public war, as well as from intestine discord. 
Bless every attempt to spread Thy true Gospel among 
the nations. Have mercy on all Jews, Turks, infidels, 
and heretics : and so bring them home, blessed Lord, 
to Thy flock, that they may be saved among the rem- 
nant of true Israelites : and crown with Thy continual 
blessmg the labours of the ministers of Thy Gospel in 
our own favoured country. 



SECOND SUNDAY EVENING, 95 

Have mercy on all who are troubled in mind ; or 
whom Thou hast visited with any sorrow. Grant unto 
them peace with Thee, through our Lord Jesus 
Christ ; and let the light of Thy countenance be more 
than a compensation for every worldly sacrifice to which 
they are called. 

Be favourable to the rising generation. Keep them 
from the follies and vanities of youth ; and let them 
learn to walk in Thy fear, and in the way of Thy com- 
mandments. 

And, finally, we beseech Thee to take us all under 
Thy protection, this night. Grant unto these our frail 
bodies that refreshment which is needful for them ; and 
enable us to lie down, exercising a holy trust in Thee, 
and having fervent charity towards all men. 

We offer up these our imperfect prayers in the name 
of our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Our Father y (^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



THIRD SUNDAY EVENING. 

O Lord, God Almighty, who understands the 
secrets of every heart, — who art also a God of infinite 
perfection and purity, and claimest not only the out- 
ward service of Thy creatures, but requirest truth in 
the inward parts, — we sinners, who in thought, word, 
and deed, have offended against Thee, desire most 
humbly to confess our sins, and to implore Thy mer- 
ciful forgiveness. 

We pray Thee to assist us by Thy Holy Spirit, to 
know wherein we have sinned against Thee. Give us 
a deep conviction of the necessity of seriously examin- 
ing ourselves, and of comparing all our ways with the 
standard of Thy holy law, that we may thus become 
acquainted with our transgressions : and, freely con- 
fessing them before that God whom we have offended, 
may obtain perfect remission, through our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ. 

O Lord, we acknowledge that forgetfulness of Thee, 
and that rebellion of our hearts against Thee, which 
have been the cause of so many disorders in our lives. 
We have not honoured Thee as God : but have set up 
our own will as our law ; choosing to follow our own 
vain imaginations. We have neglected Thy written 
word ; we have not duly attended to the instructions 
of Thy ministers ; we have been careless under the 
means of grace ; and little anxious to improve the sab- 
bath to our spiritual edification. 

Thou hast called to us by many dispensations of Thy 



THIRD SUNDAY EVENING. 97 

providence, often reminding us of our latter end. Thou 
hast shown us the vanity of all our earthly hopes ; and 
hast taught us lessons of wisdom, both by the mercies, 
and by the afflictions, and all the various trials and dis- 
appointments, with which Thou hast visited us. But 
we have too often repined at Thy dispensations, instead 
of profiting by them ; and have complained of our con- 
dition in life instead of turning our thoughts to a happier 
and better world. 

Or if Thou hast multiplied our comforts, how prone 
have we been to place our chief happiness in these, and 
not in Thee, who art the Giver ! How many and vari- 
ous have been our sins, both secret and open, from our 
youth until this time ! How many have been the sinful 
thoughts which we have indulged ; of w^hich Thou, and 
Thou only, hast been the witness ; for which also unless 
they are repented of in this world. Thou wilt call us to 
account in the Day of Judgment ! How many rash 
and angry words, also, have we continually spoken ! 
How often have we injured our neighbours ; judging 
harshly of others, while we hope to be judged mercifully 
by Thee ; — not willing to forgive, though we ourselves 
hope to be forgiven ! 

We would confess, O Lord, the ungodliness of our 
hearts and lives, and the frequent impatience of our 
spirits. Thou hast appointed our lot in life, and hast 
ordered all things concerning us : but how little have 
we adorned the stations in which Thou hast placed us ! 
— ^how unfaithfully have we employed the talents en- 
trusted to us : and how soon have we been weary in 
well-doing ! 



98 THIRD SUNDAY EVENING. 

We pray Thee, O Lord, to make us duly sensible 
of all the sins, whereby we have offended against Thee ; 
and give us grace to repent and turn to Thee ; and to 
believe in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; and 
to walk in newness of life. We thank Thee, that, on 
each returning sabbath, there is forgiveness preached to 
us in our Saviour's name ; that we are encouraged 
to confess our sins ; to renew our repentance ; and to 
call upon the Lord, our God. And, O Lord, grant 
unto us, together with the pardon of our sins, the aid 
of Thy Spirit, that whatever truths we have heard this 
day, may make a serious and lasting impression ; and 
that whatever sins have been this day brought to our 
remembrance, may be repented of and forsaken. 

May we be enabled especially to contend against 
those sins which have most easily beset us. O Lord, 
bless us in the ensuing week. May it be spent in a 
manner worthy of our Christian profession, and of these 
our supplications unto Thee. Be Thou our counsellor 
and guide, and our defender in whom we trust. Do 
Thou guard us throughout the week from all dangers : 
and continually keep us in all our ways. Do Thou 
maintain Thy grace in us ; and bring us at length to 
Thine everlasting kingdom, through our Lord and Sav- 
iour Jesus Christ. 

Our Father^ <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, (^c. 



FOURTH SUNDAY EVENING. 

O Lord, our Heavenly Father, we beseech Thee 
to accept the worship which we have rendered unto 
Thee on this Thy holy day. Give Thine abundant 
blessing to all the means of grace ; and impart unto us 
a full conviction of those doctrines of Thy Gospel which 
have been delivered to us. May they not only excite 
our fears and hopes, while the sound of them is yet in 
our ears ; but may they be engraven on all our hearts, 
by the power of Thy Holy Spirit. 

Thou hast favoured us with many and great advan- 
tages. Thou hast given us Thy sabbaths. Thou hast 
enlightened us by Thy holy word. Thou hast sent us 
ministers instructed in Thy truths, and hast multiplied 
our opportunities of edification. Thou hast removed 
from us many obstacles which others meet with in their 
heavenly course and hast made our way plain before us. 

We bless Thee, O Lord, for these unspeakable mer- 
cies ; but we would rejoice with trembling ; knowing 
that unto whom much is given, of them shall much be 
required. O Lord, grant unto us Thy Holy Spirit ; to 
enlighten our darkness, to strengthen our weakness, 
and to supply all that is wanting in us for our spiritual 
necessities, and for the everlasting salvation of our 
souls. 

We beseech Thee to manifest to all our hearts the 
abounding grace and love of Christ, that we may be 
delivered from slavish fears, and may advance with 
cheerful and willing steps in the way of Thy command- 



100 FOURTH SUNDAY EVENING. 

ments. Give us that hope, which is the anchor of the 
soul, sure and stedfast. Vouchsafe unto us that most 
excellent gift of charity, without which we are but as 
the sounding brass, and the tinkling cymbal. May we 
more plainly perceive, and more often reflect on, the 
cause of our having so imperfectly obeyed Thee in 
times past : — O God, we have not loved Thee, — and, 
therefore we have not served Thee, — as we ought. 
Our hearts have been too cold, and insensible ; — 
Christ, our Saviour hath died for us ; but we have 
remained little afl'ected by all that He did and sufiered 
for us. 

O do Thou impress upon us those all-powerful doc- 
trines of Thy word which are able to draw our hearts 
to Thee : and especially, may redeeming love, that great 
theme of the Gospel, be the favourite subject of our 
meditation. And grant, O Lord, that, having learnt to 
love Thee for Thine unspeakable mercies in Jesus 
Christ, and having obtained an interest in His salva- 
tion, we may have the consolation of trusting, that we 
are safe in life, in death, and in eternity. May we pass 
through all the future scenes of life, secure from the 
sins by which we have been overcome ; and having 
surmounted some of the trials which once threatened 
us, may the recollection be an encouragement for us to 
trust, that we shall, in due time, triumph over them all. 

Give us such a deep sense of our obligations to our 
blessed Saviour, and such a stedfast hope of immortal 
life through Him, that no temptations may prevail over 
us. May we be occupied, whenever we may have sea- 
sons of retirement, by the hope of heaven, and the love 



FOURTH SUNDAY EVENING. 101 

of Christ ; and when we are engaged in business in the 
world, may our love to Thee inspire us with such con- 
tinual zeal in doing good, and such holy activity in our 
calling, that we may be preserved from those snares to 
which the careless and the profane are constantly ex- 
posed. And thus may we pass on through life : grow- 
ing in grace ; attached more and more to every principle 
of the Gospel ; looking to the Author and Finisher of 
our faith ; and anticipating a happy resurrection. O 
may we hold fast the profession of our faith without 
wavering ; and, in the ensuing week, may w^e remem- 
ber what this day we have been taught ; and may we 
obtain of Thee, by daily prayer, the constant aid of Thy 
heavenly grace : we ask it for Jesus Christ our Sav- 
iour's sake. 

Our Father^ <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



FIFTH SUNDAY EVENING. 

Almighty and most merciful God, who hast encour- 
aged and commanded us in Thy word, both to make 
known our wants, and to confess our sins, unto Thee, 
— we desire now to approach the throne of Thy grace, 
deeply sensible of our manifold necessities, and implor- 
ing Thy forgiving mercy. 

We beseech Thee to have compassion upon us for 
the sake of Thy Son Jesus Christ. Blessed be Thy 
name for this great Mediator between God and man ; 
through whom alone we hope for acceptance in our 
prayers ; and for all things necessary, both for the body 
and the soul. We have sinned grievously against Thee ; 
we have trespassed in thought, word, and deed. We 
have left undone that which we ought to have done ; as 
well as done that which we ought not to have done ; 
and there is no health in us. We cannot tell how often 
we have offended. O Lord, cleanse Thou us from 
our secret faults. Teach us to know ourselves, that 
we may more fully understand our great unworthiness ; 
and more entirely rely on Thy grace in Jesus Christ. 

We would especially lament the sins of the past 
week. We profess, day by day, to amend our lives ; 
but we too often leave a great part of our duty unper- 
formed : we yield to indolence and negligence ; to sel- 
fishness and covetousness ; to our evil tempers, and to 
many sins which most easily beset us ; and our daily 
repentance is incomplete. Assist us now to acknow- 
ledge, with deep contrition of soul, the guilt which wc 



FIFTH SUNDAY EVENING. lOS 

have incurred ; that we may obtain perfect remission 
through that Saviour in whom Thou hast encouraged 
us to hope. 

And grant unto us, for His sake, the gift of Thy Holy 
Spirit ; that we may be enabled to advance in our Chris- 
tian course, and prevail over the enemies of our souls. 
Save us from the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Give 
us strength, that we may fight under the banners of our 
Saviour ; and may be made more than conquerors over 
every temptation. May w^e become habitually fearful 
of sinning against Thee, and diligent in every good 
work. 

We beseech Thee to grant Thy blessing to the words 
which we have heard this day ; that they may be grafted 
inwardly in all our hearts ; and may bring forth in us 
the fruit of good living. May our faith be strengthened 
by every religious exercise in which we engage ; and 
may the successive sabbaths, with which we are fa- 
voured here on earth, prepare us for an eternal sabbath, 
in Thine immediate presence in heaven. 

Give success to every endeavour which has been 
made on this day to bring sinners to repentance. O let 
Thy name be known on earth. Thy saving health to all 
nations. May they who sit in darkness behold the Sun 
of Righteousness arise ; and may Thy word every 
where be glorified. 

We pray for all who are appointed to dispense Thy 
truth. Do Thou, O Lord, so enlighten them by Thy 
grace, that they may be able to instruct others, and lead 
them safely forward in the way of everlasting life. 

Have mercy on the land in which we live. Bless 



104 FIFTH SUNDAY EVENING. 

our President. [Di7ect the consultations of our Houses 
of Congress.] Inspire our magistrates with integrity, 
and our people with the spirit of obedience. Have pity- 
on the poor and the afflicted. Bestow Thy blessing on 
the rising generation. May they be trained up in the 
nurture and admonition of the Lord ; and advance not 
only in useful knowledge, but in all virtue and godliness 
of hfe. 

Finally, we pray for our Christian friends, and for all 
our dear relations. Being united in the bonds of Chris- 
tian love, may we all seek each other's welfare, and 
bear each other's burthens, and thus fulfil the law of 
Christ. May those, who are strong, have grace to 
bear with the infirmities of the weak ; and may we 
severally minister to each other's necessities, according 
to our opportunity and abihty. 

We present these our imperfect prayers, in the name 
of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



FIRST EVENING. 

O Lord God, our Heavenly Father, who art the 
Maker of all things, and the Judge of all men, we Thy 
creatures, who live upon Thy daily bounty, and are 
accountable to Thee for all we do, desire now to offer 
up our acknowledgments of Thy goodness during the 
past day, and to implore Thy forgiving mercy. 

We would lament the trespasses which we have, this 
day, committed. Thou seest, O Lord, all our hearts. 
We are blind and ignorant, prone to error, yet impatient 
of reproof. We often deceive ourselves with the mere 
appearance of goodness ; but Thou knowest every false 
way in which we allow ourselves to walk. Pardon, we 
beseech Thee, for Jesus Christ's sake, whatever evil 
we have either said, or thought, or done, on this day. 
Pardon all the multitude of our iniquities. Teach us 
continually to examine our lives by the light of Thine 
unerring word ; and vouchsafe unto us true repentance, 
and faith in Jesus Christ. 

We pray Thee, also, to pour out upon us the gift of 
Thy Holy Spirit, that we may amend our ways, and 
walk in newness of life. Thou hast favoured us with 
much rehgious knowledge, and with many means of 
grace. O let us remember, that, unto whom much is 
given, of them shall much be required. Let us not live, 
as the children of this world, employing our time in 
vain and unprofitable things ; but let us endeavour to be 
useful in that station in which Thou hast placed us. 
As we have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so let us 



106 FIRST EVENING. 

walk in Him. May we excel especially in those tem- 
pers, and abound in those works, which His Gospel has 
required. May we be full of meekness and patience, 
of kindness and forbearance, of benevolence and charity. 
Being established in the love of God, may we also love 
our neighbour with a pure heart, fervently. Let us not 
have a name to live, while we are dead ; or possess 
only that faith which is without works, and can profit 
neither ourselves nor those around us ; but let us abound 
in all the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus 
Christ, to the praise and glory of God. 

We also beseech Thee to bless unto us the events 
of Thy providence : and so to order all things, during 
the remainder of our lives, that they may issue in our 
eternal good. We know not what a day may bring 
forth. O sanctify unto us our prosperity, and our ad- 
versity ; our sickness, and our health ; and whatever 
may be the vicissitudes which Thou art pleased to send, 
may we consider them as coming from Thy fatherly 
hand, and never repine under them. May we maintam 
a cheerful and contented mind ; and being reconciled 
to Thee our God, may we enjoy peace within ourselves, 
and be in charity with all men. 

These our imperfect supplications we humbly pre- 
sent in the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour, 

Our Father^ <^c. 

The grace of our Lord^ ^c. 



SECOND EVENING. 

O Lord, God Almighty, who knowest all things, 
and understandest the secrets of every heart, suit Thy 
mercies, we pray, to our necessities ; and grant unto all 
the nnembers of this family such things as Thou seest 
to be most needful for us. 

We pray Thee especially to bring our hearts into full 
obedience to Thy Gospel. Take away from us all 
pride, impenitency, and unbelief: all undue love of this 
present world, all inordinate affection, and every evil 
inclination. Take from us every thing which opposes 
itself to the knowledge of Thy truth : and is contrary 
to the Spirit of Thy grace. 

May we humble ourselves as children in Thy sight : 
receiving, in sincerity and simplicity of heart, the vari- 
ous doctrines of Thy word. Give us, also, grace to 
maintain a Christian spirit, and to abound in every good 
work. May we be patient, and contented, thankful for 
our lot in life ; praising and blessing Thee for all our 
providential as well as spiritual mercies ; imploring the 
continuance of Thy favour ; and jealous over ourselves, 
lest, by any evil habits which we indulge, we draw 
down Thine anger upon us. Make us strict in our 
integrity, sincere in every word, faithful in every trust, 
diligent in every duty, amiable in every temper of our 
lives. May we be zealous to do honour to the cause 
of Thy Gospel ; and thus to recommend the religion 
of Christ. 

O teach us to exercise all those virtues which shone 



108 SECOND EVENING. 

SO brightly in our Lord. At the same time, may we 
remember om' exceeding sinfiihiess ; and thus learn to 
bear with all the various infirmities of others. Give us 
grace, also, to testify, on suitable occasions, our abhor- 
rence of evil ; and give us courage and integrity to 
exhort one another daily, lest any of us be hardened 
through the deceitfulness of sin ; and teach us, in the 
spirit of love, to serve and edify one another. 

And now, O Lord, wherever on this day we have 
failed in the performance of our duty, and in the exer- 
cise of any Christian temper, or wherever we have in 
any respect offended Thee, we implore Thy pardon, in 
the name of Jesus Christ. 

Take us under Thy protection this night ; may we 
be safe under the shadow of Thy wings ; may we com- 
mit ourselves to Thee, in peace and comfort ; may the 
Gospel be our consolation, in our lying down, and in 
our rising up : — may it be an ever-present source of 
happiness to us : — may it lighten every trial, and recon- 
cile us to every disappointment. May there be no place 
or time, no situation or circumstance, when the satis- 
faction, which it imparts, shall entirely leave us : but, 
being under its blessed influence, may our hearts be 
ever filled with thankfulness ; and our lips, with 
praises. 

We ask every blessing, in the name of Jesus Christ, 
our only Saviour and Mediator 

Our Father, <^c, 

TTie grace of our Lord, <^c 



THIRD EVENING. 

Great and glorious God, we adore Thee for all 
Thine infinite perfections ! Righteous art Thou in all 
Thy ways, and holj'- in all Thy works ! We are weak 
and helpless, sinful and guilty, exposed to danger on 
every side ; and in continual need of Thy gracious 
assistance. 

Grant unto us a due sense of our dependence upon 
Thee ; and enable us to lie down to rest, exercising 
faith in Thy divine power, aud in Thy never-failing 
goodness. We desire to remember, that Thine eye 
seeth us wheresoever we are ; that Thou art about our 
bed, and art every where present with us. O Lord, 
pardon, for Jesus Christ's sake, the sins which Thou 
hast seen in us this day. Many are the offences which 
we continually commit : for we are, by nature, prone to 
evil ; and our own hearts too often deceive us. But 
we desire to trust in the all-powerful mediation of Thy 
blessed Son ; who died for our sins and rose again for 
our justification ; and who ever liveth at Thy right hand 
to make intercession for us. O Lord, grant unto us 
peace with Thee, and a cheerful hope of being finally 
made partakers of everlasting life. We beseech Thee 
to give us Thy Holy Spirit, to comfort us ; and also to 
dispose us to every good work. 

Let us not return to sin, nor love the ways of ungod- 
liness. Let us not allow ourselves in any of those 
things which Thou hast forbidden ; — but let us mortify 

10 



110 THIRD EVENING. 

all our corrupt affections ; our pride and vanity ; our 
anger and passion ; our selfishness and worldliness. Let 
us put on, as the elect of God, mercy and loving-kind- 
ness, and tender compassion towards all men. Let us 
follow the example of our Saviour's lowliness and meek- 
ness, of His holy zeal, His constant beneficence, Hi& 
love to the bodies and souls of men. Let us daily im- 
prove, through Thy grace, in every Christian temper ; 
and let us exercise ourselves in repentance for whatever 
we have done amiss. 

Accept our thanks, O Lord, for the mercies of the 
past day, and for all Thy goodness during our past lives. 
We bless Thee for every gift which Thou hast bestow- 
ed upon us ; for every deliverance which Thou hast 
v/rought out for any of us from pain and sickness, from 
sorrow and from danger ; and for every event which 
Thou hast caused to work for our good. Be with us, 
we pray Thee, to the end of our days. Bless to us all 
the estates of life through Avhich w'e pass ; make us 
humble in prosperity, and patient in adversity ; grateful 
for all Thy temporal mercies ; but especially for Thine 
unspeakable love in our redemption through Jesus 
Christ. 

We commit to Thy gracious care all our friends and 
relations. May we live in peace and harmony wqth 
them all ; bearing each other's burthens, helping each 
other's infirmities, and ministering to each other's tem- 
poral and spiritual good. 

Have compassion on the children of this family. 
Save them from the follies and dangers of youth, and 
make them obedient in all things. Prepare them for 



FOURTH EVENING. Ill 

l^hij future service ; and lolien they shall have done 
Thy will on earthy may they he joint heirs with us in 
that inheritance which Thou hast prepared for all who 
love Thee, 

Hear us, O Lord, in these our prayers, for Jesus 
Christ's sake. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



FOURTH EVENING, 



Almighty and everlasting God ! Thou art un- 
speakably great and glorious ! Thou art the King, 
Eternal, Immortal, and Invisible ! Thy throne is in the 
highest heavens ; and Thou art exalted above all bles- 
sing and praise : — we, the creatures w^hom Thy hand 
hath made, and whom Thy providence sustains from 
day to day, desire at this time humbly to bow down 
before Thy divine majesty ; and to acknowledge our 
obligations to Thine infinite goodness and mercy. 

We bless Thee for all the comforts of this life ; but, 
above all, for Thine inestimable love in sending Thy 
Son from heaven to become the Saviour of our souls. 
We thank Thee for having provided this Mediator, 
through whom sinners may draw near unto Thee. We 
beseech Thee, O Lord, to grant unto us pardon of our 
sins through Jesus Christ. Remember not against us 



112 FOURTH EVENING. 

the transgressions either of this day or of our former 
hves ; but be Thou pleased to receive us into Thy 
favour, and to adopt us into Thy family, as members 
of Christ, as children of God, and heirs of the kingdom 
of heaven. And vouchsafe unto us the gift of Thy 
Holy Spirit, that we may be enabled to love Thee with 
all our hearts ; and faithfully to perform Thy righteous 
will. We beseech Thee to renew us in the spirit of 
our minds. Help us to put off that old man, which is 
corrupt according to the flesh ; and to put on that new 
man which is created after Thine own image in righ- 
teousness and true holiness. Deliver us from blindness 
and hardness of heart ; from too great a love of this 
present world ; as well as from coldness and indolence 
in Thy service. May Thy blessed Spirit produce in 
us a deep and sincere repentance ; and make us fruitful 
in every good word and work. 

We also pray Thee to enable us to put our whole 
confidence in Thee. May we commit all our concerns 
into Thy merciful hands, who art ever ready to protect 
those who sincerely love and serve Thee. Let Thy 
watchful providence defend us by night and by day, in 
adversity and prosperity, in sickness and in health ; and, 
whenever the awful hour of our death shall draw near, 
may we find our consolations in Christ abound. 

We most humbly address Thee, in behalf of all those 
for whom it is our duty to pray. We would intercede 
with Thee for our native land, that it may still be fa- 
voured with the light of Thy Gospel; and that the 
seeds of divine knowledge sown in it may bring forth 
abundant fruit. Bless the President of these United 



FOURTH EVENING. 113 

States, and all in authority ; and give them wisdom to 
fulfil the arduous duties to which they are called. Have 
mercy on all who are in any sorrow ; on the widows, 
and the fatherless, and on those who have none to help 
them. Look down with compassion on those who 
suffer from the calamities of war. Be merciful to our 
dear friends and relations. Let the light of Thy Gos- 
pel shine into all their hearts. Grant, that they may 
be now united with us in the bonds of Christian love ; 
and that we may all be members of Thy blessed family 
in heaven. 

We pray Thee to take us under Thy care this night. 
We are unable to protect ourselves ; but Thou, Lord, 
art ever present with us. O hear us from heaven Thy 
dwelling-place ; and, for Thy mercy's sake, bestow 
upon us more than we are able to ask, or think, or are 
w'orthy to receive. 

We present these our humble and imperfect prayers, 
in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Our Father^ ^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 
10* 



FIFTH EVENING. 

Almighty and everlasting God, who art of purer 
eyes than to behold iniquity, yet hast promised forgive- 
ness to all those who repent of the evil which they have 
done, — we draw near to Thee under a deep sense of 
our unworthiness, for we have transgressed in thought, 
word, and deed ; and when we look back on our past 
lives, we are confounded by the multitude of our offen- 
ces. Many have been the sins, of which Thou, and 
Thou only, hast been the witness. O Lord, save us 
from that wrath which we have merited. Thou wiliest 
not the death of a sinner ; but, rather, that he should 
turn from his wickedness and live. Fulfil towards each 
of us those gracious promises which Thou hast made 
in Jesus Christ : and enable us to rejoice, in the sense 
of Thy favour here, and in the hope of eternal life in 
the world to come. 

And lest, through our frailty, we should again yield 
to the power of our manifold temptations, grant unto us 
both the guidance of Thy providence and the help of 
Thy Holy Spirit. Put into our hearts good desires ; 
and enable us, by Thy grace, to bring the same to good 
effect. Correct whatever is amiss in us. Deliver us 
from pride and vanity, and from the too great love of 
earthly things ; from that fear of man which bringeth a 
snare, and from all inordinate indulgence. Save u& 
from envy, hatred, and malice. Let not the sun go 
down upon our wrath. Let us go to rest, this night, 
full of charity and benevolence ; and maintaining a 



FIFTH EVENING. 115 

conscience void of offence towards Thee and towards 
all men. May our hearts be a fit habitation for Thy 
Spirit ; and may our souls and bodies be preserved 
blameless, unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

With these prayers for ourselves, we offer up our 
intercessions for others also. Let the light of Thy 
Gospel shine upon all mankind. Have mercy on this 
land. Bless our President, and all in authority under 
him. Strengthen their hands, that they may effectually 
repress wickedness and vice ; and maintain Thy true 
religion among us. Give grace to all ministers of the 
Gospel, that they may both preach Thy word, and be 
examples of virtue and godliness. Send down Thy 
blessing, both temporal and spiritual, upon our several 
relations and friends ; and unite with us in Christian 
bonds those who are already joined to us by the ties of 
nature and affection. Be merciful to those who are in 
any trouble of mind, body, or estate. 

Regard in tender compassion the young of this fam- 
ily. May they daily learn the fear of the Lord ; and 
may they ever tvalk in Thy commandments. 

We now beseech Thee to continue to us Thy gra- 
cious protection through this night. Into Thy hand 
we commend our bodies, and our souls ; our temporal, 
and our eternal interests. Thou, O Lord, neither slum- 
berest nor sleepest : — O take us all under Thy special 
care : — defend us from every danger ; and grant us such 
refreshing sleep, that we may be fitted for the duties 
of the following day. And give us grace so to live, 
that we may never be afraid to die ; but that whether 
we live, we may live unto the Lord ; or whether we 



116 SIXTH EVENING. 

die, we may die unto the Lord : — all which we ask in 
the name, and through the mediation of Jesus Christ, 
our blessed Saviour. 

Our Father, ^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



SIXTH EVENING. 

Almighty and everliving God, Author of our 
being, supporter of our lives, and source of all our hopes 
both in this world and in that which is to come : — we 
lift up our evening prayer to Thee, in acknowledgment 
of Thy divine goodness, and of our continual depend- 
ence upon Thee. 

We thank Thee for Thy merciful protection this day. 
By Thee have we been sustained ever since we were 
born ; and by Thy gracious care we are now enabled 
to lie down in peace. Blessed be Thy name if we have 
been in any measure preserved from evil. We are 
exposed to dangers on every side ; to innumerable ills, 
which afflict the body ; and to many sorrows of the 
mind. We live in the midst of an ensnaring world ; 
our own hearts are ever ready to deceive us ; and our 
great spiritual adversary goeth about seeking whom he 
may devour. O Lord, our hope and confidence are 
only in Thee. Be Thou unto us a rock of defence, that 
we may be saved from the power of our enemies. In 



SIXTH EVENING. 117 

every season of temptation, in the period of adversity, 
in the time also of prosperity, in the hour of death, and 
in the Day of Judgment, good Lord, dehver us ! 

We beseech Thee to pardon the sins v^hich we have 
this day committed. Although we profess to love Thy 
name, yet, in how many things do we continue to offend. 
We often hear Thy holy word ; we are instructed in 
every part of Thy sacred truth : — but how little fruit do 
we bring forth which is worthy of our Christian calling ; 
and of that care which Thou in Thy providence and 
grace, hast bestowed upon us ! We earnestly implore 
Thy pardon, in the name of Jesus Christ. Be Thou 
merciful to us, for our Saviour's sake ; and send Thy 
Holy Spirit into our hearts, that we may more deeply 
repent, and may reform our lives, and be disciples of 
Christ not in name only, but in deed and in truth. 

Be pleased to sanctify to the good of our souls what- 
soever events have befallen us on this day. May we 
be gathering wisdom from the scenes which we see 
around us. When we behold instances of patience and 
long-suffering, of meekness and gentleness, of loving- 
kindness and charity, may we follow them : and when 
we witness the mortality of others, may we be remind- 
ed that our time also is short ; and that blessed is that 
man whom his Lord, Avhen He cometh, shall find 
watching. 

Bless, we earnestly beseech Thee, our several friends 
and relations. Be Thou bountiful to our benefactors. 

Shoio Thy special mercy to the children of this fam- 
ily. Give wisdom to those who shall he appointed to 
instruct them : and py^ovide for them friends tvho shall 



118 SIXTH EVENING, 

guide them in the right loay, and shall prove a blessing 
to the end of their lives. 

AVe pray for the President of the United States, that 
he may experience Thy best blessings : [for our Con- 
gress, that their counsels may he directed to our true 
interests, and to Thy glory ;] for our magistrates, that 
they may not fail to be a terror to evil doers, and a 
praise to them who do well : for the ministers of the 
Gospel, that they may go forth in Thy strength, and 
preach Thy pure and unadulterated word, and have 
abundant success : for our great men, that they may be 
examples of virtue to those beneath them : for the poor, 
that they may be preserved from repining at their lot, 
and may live in all godhness and honesty : and for those 
who are sick or in trouble, that they may patiently en- 
dure the afflictions of the Lord, and in due time find 
deliverance. We thus commend to Thy gracious care 
both ourselves and others ; and we desire to lie dow^n 
in perfect charity with all men. 

O Lord, hear us in these our prayers, for Jesus 
Christ's sake ; to whom, with Thee and the Holy 
Ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



SEVENTH EVENING. 

Almighty and everlasting God, who seest all 
our thoughts, and words, and works, and who wilt judge 
us at the last day ; we beseech Thee to pardon what- 
soever sins we have this day committed against Thy 
divine majesty ; and to give us grace to examine our- 
selves, that we may know wherein we have offended 
against Thee. 

We fear that w^e have this day done many things 
which we ought not to have done ; and have left undone 
many things \vhich we ought to have done : that we 
may have indulged our pride, and our evil tempers ; and 
harboured many sinful thoughts : that we may have 
been neghgent in the performance of the duties of our 
station ; and may have omitted opportunities of doing 
good. We profess to be Thy servants ; but how great 
a part of our duty do we often leave unperformed ! O 
pardon our offences, for Jesus Christ's sake ; and 
teach us continually to amend our lives, that w^e may 
become His disciples, not in name only, but in deed 
and in truth. 

We pray Thee to take us under Thy gracious care 
this night : we are surrounded by dangers ; and are at 
all times unable to help ourselves ; but the darkness 
and the light are both alike to Thee ; and Thou art ever 
present with those who put their trust in Thee. How 
many are there who will pass this night in sorrow and 
in pain ! How many, who will mourn through the dis- 



]20 SEVENTH EVENING. 

quietude of their hearts ; and are without any sure hope 
in their God ! O Lord, grant unto us, if it please 
Thee, refreshing rest ; but, especially, teach us to put 
our trust in Thee. 

Enable us to rejoice in our most merciful Saviour, 
amidst all the trials which we may meet with here ; 
and to look forward with humble and cheerful hope, to 
the great day of our appearing before Thee. May we 
know in whom we have believed : and may our souls 
be safe in the hands of that Redeemer to whom we have 
committed them ; and in whose merits alone we desire 
to trust. Accept, also, for His sake, the imperfect ser- 
vices of this day ; pardon what hath been evil in us ; 
and look down with favour on whatsoever hath been 
good ; since we present unto Thee even our best works 
only in the name of Jesus Christ, Thy Son. 

We beseech Thee to have mercy on our dear friends 
and relations ; to relieve their sorrows, and to supply 
their wants, as well as to direct their steps. Grant unto 
them a lively faith in the promises of Thy Gospel ; and 
make them fruitful in every good work. 

We pray for our President, and country. O Lord, 
deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and direct 
the public measures to our true interests and to Thy 
glor^^ 

Have pity on the poor, the desolate, and the oppress- 
ed. Be Thou a father to the fatherless ; and a God 
of consolation to the widow. Look down with an eye 
of favour on the rising generation ; and raise Thou up 
a seed to serve Thee who shall hand down Thy truth 
to the latest posterity. 



I 



SEVENTH EVENING. 121 

Bless especially the children of this family ; may 
they he trained up in the nurture and admonition of the 
Lord ; may they be submissive and dutiful in all things ; 
may they live in harmony and love, one towards an- 
other ; may they be kept from the contagion of the 
world ; and, after a life of holy obedience to Thy laws, 
Tnay they all be made members of Thy blessed family 
above. 

O Lord, pardon the infirmity of these our prayers : 
and answer us, not according to what we either desire 
or deserve, but according to the riches of Thy grace in 
Jesus Christ ; for whom we bless Thee, and to whom, 
with Thee, and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and 
glory, world without end. 

Our Father, (^c. 

The grace of our Lord^ <^c. 



11 



EIGHTH EVENING. 

O Lord God Almighty, Father of mercies, from 
whom we derive the temporal comforts which we enjoy, 
and to whom w^e owe the blessed and glorious hope of 
everlasting life, we desire to render mito Thee this our 
evening sacrifice of prayer, and praise, and thanksgiv- 
ing. We acknowledge Thy goodness to us during the 
past day ; and we beseech Thee to continue to us Thy 
gracious protection during the darkness and silence of 
the approaching night. Thou art ever present with us. 
Thou sustainest our lives, though we see Thee not. 
Thou art our protection in all dangers. Thou art our 
support in trouble ; our guide in difficulty ; our best 
consolation in time of sickness ; and our only refuge in 
the hour of death. 

We pray Thee to increase our trust and confidence 
in Thee. Deliver us from the love of this changeful 
and uncertain world. Strengthen our faith in the great 
promises of Thy Gospel ; and grant that, having com- 
mitted ourselves to Thj^ mercies in Jesus Christ, we 
may find in Him continual rest, and peace. 

We beseech Thee, for His sake, to pardon whatever 
sins we have this day committed against Thee. Al- 
though we profess to know Thy word, and to live in 
obedience to Thy w^ill, in how many things do we con- 
tinue to offend. We are often slothful in the perform- 
ance of our duties : we fail to watch against our pecu- 
liar temptations ; we jdeld to the evil example of those 
around us ; we gratify our pride : we indulge oiu: evil 



EIGHTH EVENING. 123 

tempers ; we renew our sins, to the great disquiet of 
oiu: souls. O Lord, forgive, for Jesus Christ's sake, 
the offences of this day ; and pour out upon us Thy 
Holy Spirit ; that we may become more stedfast and 
zealous in Thy service, and more diligent in every good 
work. 

We commit to Thy gracious and fatherly care all 
those for whom it is our duty to pray. Have compas- 
sion on our dearest relations and friends. Supply their 
various wants through the riches of Thy mercy in Jesus 
Christ. 

Bless our President, and all who are in authority ; 
and give them wisdom to fulfil the arduous duties to 
which they are called. 

Be merciful to all who are in sorrow. Look down 
with pity on those Avho suffer through the calamities 
of war ; on prisoners and captives ; and on all who are 
destitute and oppressed. Bestow Thy special favour 
on Thine afflicted servants ; and cause their earthly 
troubles to issue in their eternal joy. 

Have mercy on the young : may there be never want- 
ing in this land a seed to serve Thee ; and may those, 
who shall come after us, obtain from Thee an increase 
of light and knowledge, as well as of faith, and hope, 
and love ; that the fruits of righteousness may abound ; 
and the excellency of Thy Gospel may be more and 
more manifested in the w^orld. 

We present unto Thee these our imperfect supplica- 
tions, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. 

Our Father, ^c. 

TTie grace of our Lord, <SfC. 



NINTH EVENING. 

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose power 
we were created, by whose providence we are sustain- 
ed, and by whose grace in Christ we are made heirs 
of eternal life ; we desire to bless Thee for all Thy 
mercies, both temporal and spiritual ; and, especially, 
for Thy goodness to us on the day which is now past^ 

We thank Thee for our food and raiment ; for our 
various comforts and enjoyments ; for our freedom from 
pain and sorrow ; and for our deliverance from many 
of those temptations which are common in the world. 
We bless Thee, also, for the religious advantages which 
we so abundantly enjoy ; for the light which shines 
around us ; for the various means of grace ; and for the 
gift of Thy written word- 

We desire, at the same time, to confess our number- 
less sins. We have trespassed in thought, word, and 
deed : we have done that which we ought not to have 
done ; we have left undone that which we ought to have 
done ; and our only hope is in Thy mercy. Pardon, 
O Lord, for Christ's sake, all the evil which we have 
committed on this day. Forgive Avhatever pride and 
vanity we may have indulged : whatever anger and 
passion, whatever fretfulness and impatience, we may 
have betrayed; and whatever evil thoughts we may 
have harboured m our minds. Pardon, also, the vari- 
ous sins of our tongues, by which we so often violate 
the law of charity towards our neighbour. We plead 
the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son ; and we would 



NINTH EVENING. 125 

rejoice, that there is this great Mediator between God 
and man, through whom there is perfect remission of 
sins for all those, who, with penitent and contrite liearts, 
confess their trespasses against Thee. 

And grant, we beseech Thee, that we may endeavour 
continually to amend our lives, and to walk in the way 
of Thy commandments. Put within us Thy Holy 
Spirit, that we may turn from every sin ; and may de- 
light in doing the will of our heavenly Father. Make 
us humble and lowly, kind and benevolent, and fruitful 
in every good work. May we follow the example of 
our blessed Saviour, who went about doing good ; and, 
remembering how short is the time of our sojourning 
here on earth, may we use all diligence both in serving 
others, and in making our own calling and election 
sure. 

We desire, also, before we lay down to rest, to com- 
mend to Thy grace and Thy care all our dear friends 
and relations. We beseech Thee to protect them from 
all evil : and to grant unto them all things convenient 
for them ; and, when they shall have experienced Thy 
favour here, to bring them to Thine everlasting King- 
dom. 

Bless the children of this family : — strengthen them, 
that they may resist sin ; may overcome the world ; 
may deny themselves ; and bring forth fruit in their 
lives to the praise and glory of Thy name. 

And, finally, we implore Thy blessing on our Presi- 
dent and country, \on our Congress,] our magistrates, 
our ministers of the Gospel, and all orders of men 
among us. Teach us to fill up our stations with fidel- 

11* 



126 TENTH EVENING. 

ity ; and to walk in the fear of God, and in charity 
towards all men. 

We offer up these our imperfect prayers and suppli- 
cations, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and 
Saviour. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^€r 



TENTH EVENING. 

O Lord, our heavenly Father, Almighty and most 
merciful God, we are met together to offer as a Chris- 
tian family our united prayers and supplications unto 
Thee. Thou understandest the secrets of all our hearts. 
Thou hast known all the circumstances of our past 
lives ; and art acquainted with the present disposition 
of all our minds. Thou knowest whether we are of the 
number of those who live in thoughtlessness and forget^ 
fulness of Thee, and persist in their impenitence, not 
seeing their danger : or whether we are of that happy 
number, who have embraced Thy Gospel with true 
contrition of heart ; and have obeyed its solemn call to 
repentance and newness of life. 

O Lord, suffer not that any of us should harden our 



TENTH EVENING. 127 

hearts against Thee. May we fear, lest death should 
overtake us in our sins : and, if we are yet negligent 
of the things which make for our everlasting peace, may 
we begin to seek the salvation of our souls, with earn- 
estness and anxiety. But, if any of us have already 
received Thy truth in the love of it ; if any of us have 
already repented truly of our sins, and begun to lead a 
new life, and to walk in the way of Thy command- 
ments, we pray that we may learn to follow them to the 
end, fully. 

O Lord, how great is the privilege of those who can 
thus look up with holy confidence unto Thee ! How 
blessed are they who have Him for their friend, who 
made heaven and earth, and hath all things under His 
government ! We pray Thee to receive us into Thy 
favour ; to adopt us into Thy family ; and to make all 
things work together for our good. 

Having sought, first, the kingdom of God and His 
righteousness, may all other things be added unto us. 
May Thy merciful providence direct the events of our 
lives. May Thine arm be stretched out to protect us. 
May Thy Spirit sustain and strengthen us ; and, if it 
should please Thee to visit us with trials and afflictions, 
may Thy grace sanctify all our sorrows ; and cause 
them to be instrumental to our eternal benefit. 

We now commit ourselves to Thee for this night ; 
earnestly beseeching Thee to pardon our sins, and to 
take us under Thy gracious protection. May we rise 
in the morning with every good desire growing up in 
us : and go to the duties of the following day, remem- 
bering, that we are candidates for a heavenly prize ; 



123 ELEVENTH EVENING. 

and looking, beyond these temporal things, to a better 
and more enduring inheritance. 

We offer up these our imperfect prayers in the name 
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^. 



ELEVENTH EVENING. 

Lord Almighty, who art the God of our lives, 
the author of all our happiness, and the only source 
from which we can derive any true consolation and 
hope : — and who hast also declared in Thy word, that 
Thou hearest the prayers of Thy creatures, and art rich 
in mercy unto all who devoutly call upon Thee ; — en- 
couraged by Thy gracious promises, we sinners, hope- 
less in ourselves, and exposed to Thy just condemna- 
tion, presume to call upon Thy name and to implore 
Thy blessing and Thy mercy. 

We confess, that we have all trespassed against 
Thee. We have sinned by our early forgetfulness of 
Thee ; our iniquities have advanced with our advancing 
years ; and if we now attempt to recollect all the evil 
which we have done, we are confounded by the multi- 
tude of our offences. We confess, that we have been 
vain and worldly : proud and self-willed ; professing, 



ELEVENTH EVENING. 129 

indeed, the Christian faith ; but too much engrossed by 
the present world, and too thoughtless of eternity ; in- 
clined to cherish delusive hopes of much earthly good ; 
eager also for reputation with our fellow-creatures ; but 
little anxious to please Thee, and to secure our ever- 
lasting salvation. 

We lament especially that though Thy Gospel hath 
oeen preached to us, we have heard it with so much 
indifference. We lament that, notwithstanding the 
powerful nature of its doctrines, we have been so little 
affected by it ; so often refusing to follow Thy will, 
and the precepts of Christ : choosing, rather, to live 
according to the will of men, and the corrupt customs 
of this sinful world. O Lord, grant, we beseech Thee, 
that we may not remain insensible to Thy mercies in 
Jesus Christ. May w^e lie down this night deeply 
affected with the importance of eternity ; and resolved 
to give up our future lives to that God who made us, 
and to that Saviour who hath redeemed us by His 
most precious blood. 

We desire, also, to thank Thee for Thy many tem- 
poral gifts. Blessed be Thy name for all the mercies 
which we have experienced this day — for our health 
and strength — for our food and raiment — for the various 
accommodations and comforts of this mortal life. We 
are not worthy, O Lord, of the least of all Thy boun- 
ties. May we be enabled to view them as the gifts of 
our reconciled Father : and, while we enjoy these 
earthly blessings, may we look forward, with cheerful 
and humble hope, to those greater things, which, as yet, 
eye hath not seen, nor the ear heard, nor hath it entered 



130 TWELFTH EVENING. 

into the heart of man to conceive ; but which Thou 
hast prepared for them who love Thee. 

Accept, for our Saviour's sake, whatever we may- 
have done this day in any measure according to Thy 
commands ; and receive these our imperfect prayers, 
which we offer in His name. 

Ou7' Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



TWELFTH EVENING. 

Lord God, our heavenly Father, we are met to- 
gether as a Christian family, to thank Thee for the 
mercies of the past day, and to implore Thy blessing 
before we lie down to rest. We would ever remember 
the frailty of our nature : and our utter uncertainty how 
long we may have to live. We are placed in this world for 
a short season, and must soon enter into eternity. We 
must go to the Father of our spirits, and give account 
of all things done in the body, and must then receive 
our eternal doom. 

O may this awful thought return to our minds with 
each returning day ; that we may enter upon our du- 
ties, reflecting on the ends for v/hich we were born ; 
and may lie down each night, examining whether we 
are so passing our time on earth, as we shall wish we 



TWELFTH EVENING. 131 

had done — when we are about to die, and to appear 
before Thy tribunal. 

We pray Thee, O Lord, to give us a sacred jealousy 
over ourselves ; lest we fall short of our heavenly cal- 
ling. May we learn to put our whole trust in Thee, 
and to place our delight in serving Thee. Pardon all 
our disobedience in the time past : — pardon our many 
negligences, as well as sins : — pardon the wasted time, 
the idle words, and the evil tempers of this day. 

We would lie down, trusting in the merits of Jesus 
Christ our Lord ; in whose gracious promises to every 
repenting sinner we place all our hope. And while we 
thus commend our souls to Thy mercies in Christ, to 
Thee do we commit all our worldly affairs. In Thine 
hand, O Lord, whose providence it is that bringeth 
every thing to pass, we leave the issue of all our under- 
takings ; for Thou knowest, better than ourselves, what 
is for our good. 

We beseech Thee to bless us with all spiritual bles- 
sings ; and to sanctify to us the daily events of our lives. 
We pray Thee to lay upon us no greater burthen that 
we are able to bear ; and to train us, by Thy merciful 
goodness and Thy tender care, for the performance of 
better services than we have yet rendered Thee in the 
world. We pray for strength against every temptation ; 
and for final victory over every sin. Arm us for every 
conflict ; fit us for every duty which we have to fulfil. 
Let us diligently perform our work in life ; let us, at the 
same time, live in peace and love, and abound in all 
offices of kindness to each other. 

O Lord, unite us as one Christian family together. 



132 THIRTEENTH EVENING. 

May we be partakers of the same faith ; and heirs of 
the same hope. May our united prayers continually 
ascend to the throne of Thy heavenly grace ; and may 
Thy blessing rest upon us. 

Hear us, we beseech Thee, in these our humble sup- 
plications, for Jesus Christ our Saviour's sake. 

Our Father, ^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



THIRTEENTH EVENING. 

O God, who of Thy tender mercy didst send Thy 
Son Jesus Christ into the world to die for our sins, 
we beseech Thee to bestow upon us all those abundant 
blessings, which, through Him, Thou hast provided for 
the children of men. Numberless are our wants ; and 
we would, therefore, daily abound in supplication and 
prayer. We pray Thee to bestow upon us all things 
which Thou knowest to be needful for us : to carry us 
in safety through this life, and to bring us to the end 
of our days in peace. We pray Thee to protect us in 
all dangers ; to guide us in all our difficulties ; to sus- 
tain us in all our temptations and trials ; and to lay upon 
us no greater burthen than we are able to bear. We 
pray Thee to support us with Thy heavenly grace ; to 
strengthen our faith ; to animate our hope ; and to en- 
large our charity. We pray Thee to impress upon us 



THIRTEENTH EVENING. 133 

every doctrine of Thy Gospel, and thus to purify our 
hearts. 

We thank Thee, O Heavenly Father, that, for us 
sinners, who have wandered from Thy flock, and have 
all gone out of the w^ay. Thou hast provided the bles- 
sing of salvation. May we resign all our afi'airs to that 
merciful God, who, having rescued our souls from 
destruction, and shown us the path of life, hath prom- 
ised also, that all things shall work together for good to 
them who love Him. 

And, while we trust Thee, let us also diligently obey 
Thee. Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things 
are honest, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever 
things are of good report, may we think of these things. 
Fill us, O Lord, with compassion to our fellow-crea- 
tures ; even as TAou hast had compassion on us. Give 
us hearts to deny ourselves ; and to be kind and liberal 
to others ; always remembering, that it is more blessed 
to give than to receive. 

We beseech Thee to give us tender consciences, that 
we may flee from all evil. We desire, as much as is 
possible in this state of trial, to be kept in paths of 
safety ; we ask not for wealth, reputation, honour, or 
prosperity ; but we pray for a calm and peaceful spirit ; 
for every opportunity of leading a holy life ; and for 
such circumstances in this world as may be most free 
from temptation. We pray for Thy preserving grace, 
for holiness of life, and for eternal salvation at the last. 

Pardon, we now beseech Thee, all the sins of the 
past day : and grant, that, before we lie down to rest, 
we may repent sincerely of the evil which we have 

12 



134 FOURTEENTH EVENING, 

done ; and, also, of our neglect of the good which we 
might have done. And we would implore both the 
pardon of our sins, and the acceptance of our imperfect 
services, in the name of our only Lord and Saviour, 
Jesus Christ. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The gi'ace of our Lord, <^c. 



FOURTEENTH EVENING. 

O Lord God, our Heavenly Father, whose merciear 
are over all Thy works, and who hast, on this day, 
supplied our returning wants, we render thanks to Thee 
for all the bounties of Thy providence ; and we desire 
now to lie down under a deep sense both of our own 
unworthiness, and of Thine unspeakable goodness. 

We adore Thee, especially, for the gift of Jesus 
Christ, Thy Son ; through whom we hope for the 
pardon of our sins, and the gift of everlasting life. We 
are all sinners in Thy sight ; and are exposed to Thy 
just condemnation ,' but, though our offences have 
abounded, yet Thy grace hath still more abounded 
through Jesus Christ. 

We desire to confess and lament the sins of the day 
which is now past. Forgive, Lord, all our negligen- 
ces, as well as our more manifest offences. Forgive all 
our evil thoughts, and words, and works. We w^ould 



FOURTEENTH EVENING, 135 

lament every mis-spent hour, and every neglected op- 
portimity of doing good. We lament our want of love 
to Thee our God, and our want of zeal in Thy service. 
We lament, also, the great imperfection of our charity 
towards those around us. Thou hast commanded us 
to love our neighbour as ourselves : but we are contin- 
ually seeking our own interest ; indulging our own ease ; 
and consulting our own humour. Help us, we pray 
Thee, to follow the example of our blessed Saviour ; 
who pleased not Himself ; but went about doing good ; 
and hath commanded us continually to deny ourselves, 
and take up our cross, and follow Him. 

We beseech Thee to bless unto us the events of this 
day. We would remember that all things are directed 
by Thine unerring wisdom ; and that they shall work 
together for good to them who love Thee. May any 
trial which we may this day have experienced, teach 
us more and more to know ourselves : — may every 
sorrow wean us from this present world : and maj^ 
eveiy enjoyment be the means of exciting our gratitude 
to Thee, the author of all good. May the afflictions of 
others call forth our Christian sympathy ; and render 
us abundant in the exercise of our benevolence. 

We pray for Thy blessing on all our friends and 
relations. Guard them from evil by night and by day; 
and especially from whatsoever may hurt their souls. 
Establish them in Thy true faith : and make them fruit- 
ful in good works. Bestow Thy special blessing on 
the rising generation. 

May the children of this family live in thy fear ^ and 
maintain Thy cause in the world. May they receive . 



136 FIFTEENTH EVENING. 

the truths taught them into an honest heart, and he ever 
followers of that which is good. 

[May the servants of this house bear continually in 
mind that Thine eye is upon them ; may they be 
faithful in all things ; and live in peace one with an-^ 
other.] 

Bless our Rulers, and country. Give grace to all 
ministers of Thy Gospel. Have pity on the poor and 
the afHicted ; and make it the daily business of all our 
lives to minister to the sorrows and wants of others^ 
and to abound in every good work. 

We present these our humble and imperfect suppli- 
cations, in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus 
Christ. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



FIFTEENTH EVENING. 

O Lord God, our Heavenly Father, we beseech 
Thee now to deliver us from all wandering thoughts, 
and to enable us to worship Thee in an acceptable 
manner, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

We pray Thee, O God, to pardon all the sins of this 
day. We confess, that we have not served Thee as 
we ought ; but we desire to lament both our negligences 
and our sins ; and we would seriously resolve, that, by 



FIFTEENTH EVENING. 1*37 

Thy grace assisting us, we will endeavour continually 
to amend our lives, and to w^alk more conformably to 
the precepts of Thy holy word. 

Pardon whatever pride or vanity we have this day 
indulged ; whatever angry words we have spoken ; and 
whatever sinful thoughts we have harboured in our 
minds. Forgive our w^ant of sufficient tenderness of 
conscience in the performance of those duties in which 
we have been engaged. Pardon, especially, that want 
of love both to Thee and to our fellow-creatures, w^hich 
causes us to live so much to ourselves, and to do so 
little either for the benefit of others, or for Thy glory. 

We pray Thee, O Lord, to give us hearts more de- 
voted to Thee ; and more dead to sin, as well as to all 
the thmgs of this world. Teach us to know how frail 
is our life ; and how short may be the time of our 
sojourning here ; and how awful may be the account, 
which w^e shall have to give of all things done in the 
body, as soon as we shall be called hence. O let us 
lie down, night after night, as those who know not 
whether they may not lie down to rise no more. May 
we repent daily of our sins ;— may we be accepted of 
Thee through Jesus Christ our Lord : and may we 
resolve, by Thy grace assisting us, to bring forth all 
those fruits of righteousness which are by Him to the 
praise and glory of God. O save us from a barren and 
unfruitful faith ; by which we do but the more misera- 
bly deceive our own souls. Give us that true peace 
of mind which they alone possess, who love Thy law : 
and save us from that hope of the hypocrite, which shall 
perish when God taketh away his soul. May we be 

12* 



138 FIFTEENTH EVENING. 

living a life of purity, and holiness, of watchfulness, and 
self-denial, and of diligence in every good work. 

O Lord, take us now under Thy care, both pardon- 
ing our sins, and accepting our imperfect services on 
the past day. 

We implore Thy special protection on the children 
of this family , Save them from the temptations of this 
vain and evil ivorld. Watch over them during the 
weakness and inexperience of their youth, and prepare 
them for the duties to lohicli Thy providence shall call 
them,. 

And bless with us all others who are dear to us ; and 
make us to lie down in perfect charity with all men. 

We ask every blessing in the name, and through the 
merits, of the great Mediator and Intercessor, Jesijs 
Christ our Lord. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



1 



SIXTEENTH EVENING. 

O Eternal God, Father of men and angels, who 
hast estabHshed the heavens and the earth in a wonder- 
ful order, causing day and night to succeed each other : 
— we make our humble address to Thy divine majesty, 
begging of Thee mercy and protection, this night and 
for ever. 

O Lord, pardon all our sins, our light and rash words, 
the vanity and impiety of our thoughts, our unjust and 
unkind actions^ and whatever we have done amiss this 
day, or at any time before. God, our souls are 
troubled through the remembrance of our past trans- 
gressions : and we are daily exposed, through the frailty 
and sinfulness of our natures, to every new temptation, 
which of ourselves we are not able to resist. We, 
therefore, earnestly beg of Thee to give us a great por-- 
tion of Thy grace ; such as may be sufficient and 
effectual for the mortification of all our corruptions : 
that, as we have formerly served sinful desires, so now 
we may give up ourselves to Thy service, in all the 
duties of a holy life. 

Teach us to walk always as in Thy presence : and 
put into our souls great love to Thee, that it may be- 
come our chief employment to promote Thy glory, and 
to root out all habits of sin ; so that, in faith and purity, 
we may wait patiently for the coming of our Lord Jesus. 

Into Thy hands we now commend ourselves : pray- 
ing Thee so to bless and sanctify our sleep unto us, 
that It may be a refreshment unto our wearied bodies ^ 



140 SIXTEENTH EVENING. 

to enable us the better to serve Thee. And whether 
we sleep or wake, Uve or die, may we be Thy servants. 

We also beseech Thee, O God, to send down Thy 
blessing on all our dear friends and relations. Bless 
them in their persons, in their families, and in all their 
vmdertakings ; and dispose them to advance Thine 
honour, and to live to Thy glory. 

Be Thou a father and a friend to the children of 
this family. Let Thy providence lead them thi^ough 
the dangers, and temptations, and ignorances of their 
youth, that they may not run into folly, nor give way 
to any unbridled appetite. Be pleased so to order the 
events of their lives, that, hy a good education, and hy 
prudent counsel, and, by Thy restraining grace, they 
may be trained up to serve Thee, in the midst of an 
evil generation ; and, after an useful and holy life, 
may come to a peaceful and happy death ; and may be 
made heirs with Christ in the glories of His heavenly 
kingdom. 

Look down with an eye of favour on the whole 
Church of Christ. Have compassion on Thine afflicted 
servants. Give them increase of faith, and patience, 
and hope ; and, in Thy good time, give them deliv- 
erance. 

And, O Thou who wiliest not the death of a siimer, 
have pity on the multitudes who walk not in obedience 
to Thy commandments. Turn them from all their sins, 
so that their souls may be saved in the day of Jesus 
Christ. Support also the weak ; establish the doubt- 
ful and wavering ; succour the tempted ; and raise up 
those who are fallen ; and teach us all to have com- 



SEVENTEENTH EVENING. 141 

passion on the infirmities of our brethren : and to walk 
charitably one towards another. 

Hear, O Lord, these and all our prayers, for the sake 
of Thine only Son Jesus Christ, our Mediator and 
Redeemer. 

Our Father, ^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



SEVENTEENTH EVENING. 

Almighty, and ever blessed God, who preservest 
our lives, and sustainest our health and strength, and 
multipliest our comforts and enjoyments, we are met 
together to praise Thee for the mercies which we have 
experienced, since we were last assembled to worship 
Thy holy name. Thou art the author of all good: — 
without Thee, we are utterly weak and helpless, as well 
as miserable. O Lord, continue to us Thy gracious 
care : and preserve us, this night, both in body and soul,, 
from every evil. 

We beseech Thee, especially, to grant unto us all the 
pardon of sin, and a cheerful confidence in Thy favour, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Give us peace 
through His atoning blood ; and being thus reconciled- 
to Thee our God, may we also be in charity with all 
men. Take from us, Lord, every angry passion, as, 
well as every tormenting fear of Thy wrath. We be-- 



142 SEVENTEENTH EVENING. 

seech Thee, also, to dehver us from those anxieties and 
cares which are too apt to distress our minds. Let us 
trust Thy gracious providence ; and ever commit our- 
selves and all our concerns to Thee, as to a wise and 
faithful Creator, and a Father and Friend in Christ. 

Bless us, we pray Thee, to the end of our lives. 
Support us in all our future trials, — guide us in all our 
difficulties — strengthen us for the several duties of our 
stations — sustain us in sorrow, sickness, and adversity ; 
and, whenever the trials and labours of this mortal life 
shall have passed, receive us into the haven of ever- 
lasting rest. 

We beseech Thee to bless our friends and relations. 
Deliver them from all the dangers and sorrows of this 
evil world ; save them, especially, from sin ; unite them 
with us in the bonds of a common faith ; and make us 
all members of the same blessed family above. 

Have compassion on the children of this house ; 
fill them with the knoxoledge of Thy loill ; and give 
them grace to serve Thee, without fear, in holiness and 
righteousness all the days of their lives. 

Have mercy on our President. Direct the councils 
of this nation. Bless our magistrates. Inspire our 
clergy with the spirit of tme religion. Give to the 
poor, contentment with their lot ; — and to the rich, a 
spirit of compassion and benevolence. Extend Thy 
goodness to all mankind. Put an end to war and dis- 
cord, as well as to vice and superstition ; and send Thy 
Gospel over the earth, to enlighten those who still sit 
in darkness, and in the shadow of death. 

These prayers we would humbly present, with one 



EIGHTEENTH EVENING* 143 

heart and one mind, at the throne of Thy heavenly- 
grace ; and we beseech Thee to hear and answer 
them, according to the riches of Thy mercy in Jesus 
Christ. 

Our Father^ <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



EIGHTEENTH EVENING. 

Lord, God Almighty, who hearest the prayers 
of all who devoutly call upon Thy name, we kneel 
down to make our supplications unto Thee, this night ; 
imploring Thee to take us under Thy protection ; and 
to pardon, also, every sin which we may, this day, have 
committed against Thee. 

We, at the same time, beseech Thee to impress upon 
us the importance of eternal things. May we be deeply 
persuaded, through the powerful help of Thy Holy 
Spirit, that we can never prize our salvation too highly ; 
nor strive too earnestly or unceasingly after it. Teach 
us to remember, that we are dying creatures, who must 
soon enter into eternity ; and must either rise to a state 
of immortal happiness, or sink into everlasting despair. 
May we never forget that " one thing is needful ;" and 
may we, comparatively, despise all the things of this 



144 EIGHTEENTH EVENING. 

world, while we think of that better part which can 
never be taken from us. 

And pour out upon us, we beseech Thee, the spirit 
of wisdom and of a sound mind. Deliver us from every 
error by which we may be in danger of being deceived. 
Convince us of the evil which hath been hidden in our 
hearts ; and of the many sins which in our lives we 
have committed. And do Thou bestow upon us deep 
repentance for them : and, at the same time, grant us 
such a lively faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, that we 
may be comforted by the hope of His pardoning mercy ; 
and may be encouraged in pursuing our Christian 
course. 

We would, also, implore Thee, as the God of provi- 
dence, to suit Thy various dispensations towards us to 
our several cases and necessities. Send us, we beseech 
Thee, such circumstances in life, such degrees of health, 
such friends, and such opportunities of instruction, as 
may most effectually tend to promote the edification 
and salvation of our souls. May Thy Holy Spirit dwell 
within us ; and may all things, which befall us, be 
ordered by Thee for our good. And may we see and 
adore Thy hand, both in Thy chastisements, and in Thy 
mercies ; and be enabled always to say, " it is the Lord 
that giveth, and the Lord that taketh away : — blessed 
be the name of the Lord." 

We commit ourselves to Thy mercy and protection, 
for this night ; and we desire to lie down at peace with 
Thee, and in perfect charity with all men. 

And now, Lord, if we have, this day, mis-spent 
our time, or have forgotten Thee, or have in any wise 



1 



NINETEENTH EVENING. 145 

sinned against Thee, we here implore Thy pardon, in 
the name of Jesus Christ. 

We present these and all our prayers through the 
merits, and mediation, of the same Blessed Saviour. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



NINETEENTH EVENING. 

O Lord, God Almighty, disposer of all events, and 
Lord over all Thy creatures, who art great in power, 
infinite in wisdom, and complete in justice, goodness, 
and mercy ; we. Thy creatures, made by Thy hand, 
and upheld by Thy continual power, kneel down in 
humble adoration of Thy divine majesty, imploring 
Thee to have compassion upon us, pardoning our sins, 
and receiving us into Thy favour, for the sake of Jesus 
Christ, our Lord. 

We desire now to confess the sins of another day ; 
and we pray, that we may do it with humble, broken, 
and contrite hearts. O Lord, we acknowledge our 
guilt in every neglect of the duties of the day ; in every 
evil temper which we have indulged ; and in every 
sinful thought and imagination. We lament our forget- 
fulness that we are Thy creatures, accountable to Thee 
for all we do ; seen by Thine all-piercing eye, where- 
soever we are ; bound, also, by the strongest obligations 

13 



146 NINETEENTH EVENING. 

to pay unto Thee constant gratitude and love, to fulfil 
Thy will, and to do all to Thy glory. 

We desire to thank Thee for Thy patience and long 
forbearance with us* Though we continually offend 
against Thee, Thou still waitest to be gracious ; and 
though we have been so deaf to the calls of Thy provi- 
dence, and to the invitations of Thy Gospel, still Thou 
hast not cast us off: but permittest us, day after day, 
to read Thy sacred word, — to join in social prayer, — 
and to call upon the God of our salvation. 

We now pray Thee, for Christ's sake, to nave mercy 
upon us ; to fill our hearts with a sense of Thy good- 
ness ; and to teach us how to serve Thee henceforth in 
a more acceptable manner ; that so we may dwell in 
the hght of Thy countenance, and that Thy blessings 
may descend upon us. Help us to be faithful in all the 
duties of life to which Thou hast called us. As mas- 
ters, may we remember that we have a Master in 
heaven. As servants, may we serve the Lord Christ. 
As parents, may we be careful to train up our children 
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. As chil- 
dren, may we be obedient to our parents in all things ; 
proving that this is good and acceptable to the Lord. 
As citizens, may we obey magistrates, and all who are 
put in authority over us. And, as members of the same 
family, may we remember how blessed a thing it is for 
brethren to dwell together in unity. May we, there- 
fore, exercise towards each other all patience, and lov- 
ing kindness, and charity ; and endeavour to preserve 
the unity of the spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righ- 
teousness of life. 



TWENTIETH EVENING. 147 

O Lord, pardon the sins and negligences of this day ; 
and help us to amend our ways, and to adorn the doc- 
trine of God our Saviour in all things. 

Let us now lie down in Thy fear ; and, m tne morn- 
ing, let us again seek Thy favour : and let us ever 
remember, that Thou, Lord, art with us, by night, and 
by day ; and that Thou alone causest us to dwell in 
safety. 

These prayers we humbly present to Thy divine 
majesty, trusting in the name of Jesus Christ our 
Saviour. 

Our Father^ <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



TWENTIETH EVENING. 

Almighty God, Creator of all things, in whose hands 
are life and death, glory be to Thee for all Thy mer- 
cies. We thank Thee for Thy preservation of us 
during the past day ; and for the many bounties of Thy 
providence. Pardon, O most merciful God, all the 
offences against Thee which we have committed ; and 
also our neghgence of those duties which Thou hast 
required. Have mercy on our souls for Jesus Christ's 
sake ; and vouchsafe unto us the comforts of Thy Holy 
Spirit- 



148 TWENTIETH EVENING. 

Enable us, O Lord, to pass our future time on earth, 
in Thy fear and to Thy glory. Save us from the power 
of our sins ; and from all our spiritual enemies. O 
Thou, in whose hand are the wills and affections of 
men, kindle in us, we pray Thee, all holy desires. Re- 
press our sinful and corrupt imaginations. Dispose us 
to love Thy commandments, and to desire Thy prom- 
ises : strengthen and establish us in every good work ; 
and grant, that, by Thy constant help and protection, 
we may so pass through things temj^oral, as finally not 
to lose the things eternal. 

Grant, that, amidst the hopes, and fears, — the pleas- 
ures, and sorrows, — the dangers, and deliverances, — 
and all the various changes of this mortal life, our hearts 
may be surely fixed on those joys which are eternal. 
O merciful Father, do Thou continually direct and bless 
us. Give us in this world knowledge of Thy truth, 
and confidence in Thy mercy ; and, in the world to 
come, life everlasting, for the sake of Jesus Christ. 

We pray, O Lord, for all our dear friends and rela- 
tions. Guard them from evil by night and by day. 
Support, comfort, and assist them ; and bring them to 
eternal happiness, through the merits of the same 
blessed Saviour. Have mercy on the young; may 
they be trained up in the nurture and admonition of the 
Lord ; and thus learn to do Thy will and to walk in 
Thy fear, all the days of their lives. We commend 
unto Thee the President of these United States, and all 
who are in authority. Bless all the ministers of Thy 
Gospel. Pity the sorrows of the afflicted ; and supply 
the various Avants of all Thy creatures. Be gracious to . 



TWENTY-FIRST EVENING. 149 

our benefactors. We pray Thee, also, to forgive our 
enemies : and to teach us to exercise kindness and 
good-will towards all men. 

Take us, now, O Lord, under Thy gracious protec- 
tion ; defend us from all the dangers of this night ; and 
prepare us, if it please Thee, by the refreshment of 
sleep, for the duties which Thy providence shall, on the 
ensuing day, appoint for us. 

Accept, O Lord, these our humble and imperfect 
supplications, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Sav- 
iour. 

Our Father, ^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



TWEiNTY-FIRST EVENING. 

O Lord God, our heavenly Father, who art our daily 
protector in all dangers, and the giver of every blessing 
which we enjoy ; we desire most humbly and heartily 
to thank Thee for Thy mercies to this family during the 
day which is now past ; and we pray Thee to preserve 
us through the night, and to cause Thy peace, at this 
time, to rest upon us. 

Forgive, we beseech Thee, all our sins ; — remember 
not against us the transgressions of this day, or of our 
former lives ; but grant unto us true repentance and 
faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

13* 



150 TWENTY-FIRST EVENING. 

Help us daily to exercise godly sorrow for all that 
we do amiss. Put into us a due sense of our great 
unworthiness, and of our continual guilt ; and vouchsafe 
unto us the light of Thy reconciled countenance ; and 
the comforts of Thy Holy Spirit : that, while we lie 
down to rest, we may enjoy peace in our consciences, 
and the hope of pardon for all . our sins, through Him 
who hath died for us. 

And teach us, O Lord, to number our days, and to 
consider our latter end. Let us remember that we are 
continually drawing nearer to the grave ; and that we 
know not how soon it may please Thee to call us hence. 
O Thou, by whose mercy we have now been spared 
another day, help us to redeem the time, and to fulfil 
the work appointed for us, before we give up our ac- 
count to Thee. Let us not neglect, nor delay, to exe- 
cute any good resolution which, by Thy grace, we may 
have formed. 

And, especially, may we none of us put off our 
repentance ; or refuse to hear Thy voice in Thy Gos- 
pel ; lest death should come upon us unawares. Dis- 
pose us, every evening, to try and examine our ways 
by the standard of Thy holy word. Save us from a 
hardened heart, — from an unawakened conscience, — and 
from a worldly and unbelieving spirit. May we remem- 
ber, that, as Thy mercies are sure to the humble and 
penitent, so also are Thy judgments sure to him who 
lives and dies in his iniquity. May we, therefore, daily 
call upon Thee ; and truly humble ourselves before 
Thee ; and may we so worship Thee and serve Thee 
in this world, that we may be accepted in the world to 



TWENTY-FIRST EVENING. 151 

come, through the single merits of Jesus Christ our 
Saviour. 

Bless, we pray Thee, all our relations and friends. 
Make them partakers of Thy grace, and of all the prom- 
ises of Thy Gospel. Have mercy on our native land ; 
and continue to us, if it please Thee, the blessings 
which we have so long and so unthankfully enjoyed ; 
and dispose us to employ them to Thy glory. Direct, 
we beseech Thee, the President of the United States 
and all others in authority, that they may, above all 
things, seek Thy honour ; and enlighten us, O God, to 
discharge the Christian duties of the stations in which 
Thou hast severally placed us. 

These and all other things needful for our bodies and 
our souls, — for our temporal and our eternal interests, 
we humbly ask in the name of our only Mediator and 
intercessor Jesus Christ. 

Our Father^ (^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



TWENTY-SECOND EVENING. 

O Lord, our heavenly Father, we beseech Thee to 
hear the prayers which we are about to offer up unto 
Thee. DeHver us from all wandering thoughts ; and 
lielp us to remember that we are now in the presence 
of that God, unto whom all hearts are open, and from 
whom no secrets are hid. 

O God, we pray Thee to forgive the sins of the past 
day. We acknowledge that we have, this day, left 
undone many things which we ought to have done ; and 
done many things which we ought not to have done. 
We have trespassed against Thee in thought, word, and 
deed. And though we have been encouraged by Thy 
Gospel to repent of our iniquities, and to serve Thee in 
newness of life, yet we have many times returned to 
those sins, of which we profess to have repented ; and 
we have fallen under Thy just wrath and displeasure. 

But we pray Thee, O Thou God of all grace and 
goodness, for the sake of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, to 
pardon all that is past ; and to take us, this night, into 
Thy favour, not weighing our merits, but forgiving our 
offences, and causing us to place our humble trust in 
Thy mercy. Deliver us, we pray Thee, from the 
troubles of a guilty conscience, now that we are about 
to lie down to rest. Save us, O Lord, from the dread of 
death, and from the terrors of the wrath to come. Grant 
unto us, if it please Thee, a quiet night ; and make us all 
to be at peace with Thee, through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

At the same time we beseech Thee, not to suffer that 



TWENTY-SECOND EVENING. 153 

we should deceive ourselves by any false hope ; but 
give us grace, day by day, to examine ourselves with 
care and diligence, that we may discover all that is 
amiss in us. O Lord, deliver us from continuing in 
any known sin. Save us from every secret iniquity. 
May we each of us resolve, before we go to rest this 
night, to forsake, by Thy grace assisting us, every 
former transgression ; and may we now devote ourselves 
entirely to Thy service. 

We further beseech Thee to bless all our relations, 
friends, and connexions ; take both us and them under 
Thy protection, this night. And have mercy on all 
those who are in pain, sickness, or any other adversity ; 
do Thou lighten their troubles, and support them by 
Thy heavenly grace. 

And accept our thanks for all Thy goodness vouch- 
safed unto us this day. Praised be the Lord for all 
His mercies ; for the health and strength, and food and 
raiment, and comforts of every kind, which we have 
enjoyed. But, above all, we desire to bless Thy name 
for the gift of Jestjs Christ Thy Son ; for the instruc- 
tions of Thy sacred word ; and for the hope of ever- 
lasting life. O Lord, grant unto us grace to receive 
these, and all Thy blessings, with a thankful heart : and 
let us show forth Thy praise, not with our lips only, 
but with our lives. 

Accept, we beseech Thee, our imperfect supplica- 
tions and prayers, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our 
only Lord and Saviour. 

Our Father^ <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



TWENTY-THIRD EVENING. 

O Lord God, our heavenly Father, assist us now to 
draw near unto Thee with reverence : and grant us the 
Holy Spirit, that we may worship Thee in an accept- 
able manner, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

O Lord God Almighty, we thank Thee for all Thy 
mercies during the past day : and we are now met 
together both to praise Thee for Thy goodness, and to 
commend ourselves to Thy protection. Preserve us 
from all the dangers of this night ; and grant us, if it 
please Thee, such quiet and refreshing rest, that we 
may be prepared for all those duties of life which are 
before us. 

We also earnestly beseech Thee to pardon the sins 
which we may, this day, have committed : and to this 
end, help us now to confess them before Thee, examin- 
ing ourselves with all impartiality and seriousness. 
Pardon every evil temper which we have shown this 
day, and every rash and angry word which we may 
have spoken. Pardon also any want of strict integrity 
in our conduct. Pardon whatever insincerity and hy- 
pocrisy Thy holy eyes may have, this day, seen in any 
of us. Pardon our want of due watchfulness over our- 
selves, and our too great readiness to cast blame con- 
tinually on others. Pardon all our disobedience to Thy 
laws ; pardon also our want of submission to Thy prov- 
idence, and of zeal in Thy service. 

For these, and all other sins, which we have any of 
us, either on this day, or at any other time, committed, 



TWENTY-THIRD EVENING. 155 

we here unite in imploring mercy, through the name 
of our most blessed Saviour. O Lord, forgive us, for 
Jesus Christ's sake. Lay not any of our past sins to 
our charge ; but blot them out from Thy remembrance, 
for the sake of Him who hath died for us. Give us 
penitent and contrite hearts ; and let us lie down this 
night in Thy favour. 

We also implore Thy blessings on all our friends and 
relations. Watch over them, w^e beseech Thee, by Thy 
good providence ; teach them all to live in Thy fear, 
and to hope in Thy mercy. Bless the land in which 
we live, and especially the faithful followers of Jesus 
Christ. Have pity on those who are deprived of the 
comforts w^hicli we enjoy ; and are lying down this 
night in pain, sorrow, and affliction : grant them patience 
under their sufferings ; and make them at length par- 
takers of Thy heavenly kingdom. And teach us, O 
Lord, to have compassion on the afflicted ; and to pray 
for them : and to do good unto all men ; and to live in 
)eace and harmony one with another. 

We offer up these our imperfect prayers in the name 
of Jesus Christ, our only Lord and Saviour. 

Ou7' Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lo7'd, <^c. 



FIRST SATURDAY EVENING. 

O Lord God, our heavenly Father, who preservest 
us from week to week ; and continually renewest Thy 
various mercies to us ; — we kneel down this evening, 
desiring to express our gratitude and love to Thee, who 
art the Author of our being and the source of all our 
happiness. 

We thank Thee, that while so many thousands are 
suffering in misery and want, we are provided with 
innumerable comforts ; and are passing day after day, 
in quietness and peace. 

We pray Thee, O Lord, that, as we look back on 
our days which are passed, and consider our lot in life, 
we may become more thankful for all that goodness 
which is showered down upon us ; and more earnest to 
employ the opportunities and talents which are given 
to us, in fulfiUing Thy will, and in diminishing, as much 
as in us lies, both the wickedness and the misery which 
are in the world. We would lament every neglect and 
abuse of Thy providential gifts, — of which we may have 
been guilty in times past : confessing with shame ai\d 
humiliation of soul, that our talents have not been turned 
to a rehgious and profitable use, as they ought to have 
been. 

We would now, especially, lament our mis-spent 
time, and neglected opportunities, and all our other sins, 
during the past week. How many sinful thoughts have 
we indulged ! How many hasty and unbecoming words 
have we uttered ! And how little has it been in our 



FIRST SATURDAY EVENING. 157 

minds to exercise every Christian grace ! We lament, 
also, the coldness of our hearts in our religious duties. 
Though instructed in the affecting truths of the Gospel, 
and blessed with the knowledge of Christ crucified for 
us, we confess, that we have been listless and lukewarm 
in our worship : too much alienated from the life of 
God ; and too much occupied with the cares of this 
world. Though living, O Lord, on Thy continual 
bounty, kept by Thy power, and indebted to Thy par- 
doning grace, how little have we laboured to fulfil Thy 
holy will, and to walk blamelessly in all Thy statutes 
and commandments. We now present ourselves before 
Thee, freely confessing these our sins, and imploring 
Thy forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ : and we 
would lie down this night, trusting in His all-sufficient 
sacrifice on the cross for us ; and looking for Thy mercy 
unto eternal life. 

And we pray, that, being thus prepared by repent- 
ance and deep humiliation of soul, we may go forth on 
the ensuing sabbath to hear Thy Gospel, wdth teachable 
and submissive minds. May we receive the seed sown 
into an honest and good heart. May the Gospel of our 
salvation be the chief desire of our minds, and the con- 
solation of all our hearts. As the sabbath returns, may 
we welcome the joyful sound ; and bless that God, who 
not only increases our temporal mercies, but also sets 
before us the hope of everlasting life. 

And enable each of us, O Lord, who are met here 
together, to set an example of pure and undefiled reli- 
gion to all who live around us. 

Have compassion on the young in this family. In- 
14 



158 FIRST SATURDAY EVENING. 

dine them to hear Thy word with attention, that they 
may groio tviser evei^y day they live ; and teach them 
to lift up their hearts in prayer^ ivhile they kneel down 
with us to worship Thee. 

Confirm the wavering in the ways of true rehgion. 
May they see that godhness has the promise of the life 
which now is, as well as of the life which is to come. 
May they, also, be convinced of their sins ; and expe- 
rience what is that peace of conscience, which the Gos- 
pel brings to the truly humble and penitent. 

To Thee do we now commit ourselves, beseeching 
Thee to bless every member of this family. May we 
lie down in the fear of God, in the faith of Christ, and 
in the comfort of the Holy Spirit ; and may we rise in 
the morning, rejoicing in our Christian privileges, and 
desiring to employ the Sabbath in Thy service. 

Hear us, O Lord, in these our supplications, for 
Jesus Christ's sake. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



SECOND SATURDAY EVENING. ' 

O God, who hast appointed a day in which Thou 
wilt judge the world in righteousness, give us grace so 
to try and judge ourselves, that we may not be finally 
and everlastingly condemned at the judgment-seat of 
Jesus Christ. Dispose us daily to examine both our 
hearts and lives ; for Thou, O Lord, regardest our 
secret thoughts. Grant unto us repentance for what- 
ever sins we have committed — either in thought, word, 
or deed ; and forgive all our trespasses, both against 
Thee and against our neighbour, for the sake of Jesus 
Christ. 

We confess that we too easily forget " the prize of 
our high calling in Christ Jesus." Thou hast sent Thy 
Son from heaven to save us : — Thou hast invited us by 
Thy promises, and restrained us by the threatenings 
of Thy word : — Thou hast set before us " an inherit- 
ance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not 
away ;" — and Thou hast warned us of " a worm that 
never dieth, and of a fire which is not quenched." 

We beseech Thee to deliver us from all hardness of 
heart. May Thy Holy Spirit impress our minds with 
a deep sense of the importance of eternal things. O 
may we labour " to make our calling and election sure !" 
May we be diligent, and hope to the end ; knowing that 
we must soon put off these mortal bodies, and that the 
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is at hand. 

We desire to thank Thee for the advantage of Thy 
holy sabbaths ; for the gift of Th)?- sacred word ; and 



160 SECOND SATURDAY EVENING. 

for all the means of grace. We have abundant light 
and knowledge ; — we have " line upon line, and precept 
upon precept." 

Assist us, this night, to look up to Thee with pure 
and humble minds. Let us commit ourselves to Thy 
gracious care : sensible of Thy constant presence with 
us ; and earnestly desiring to partake both of Thy fa- 
vour here, and of those joys which are at Thy right 
hand for evermore. And let not the cares and anxieties 
of life, nor the lawful business in which we have been 
engaged, prevent our now meditating on a better world. 

We pray Thee to bestow Thy blessing on our dear 
friends and relations ; on our country ; and on all for 
whom we are bound to pray. Pity those who are af- 
flicted, and who shall pass this night in wakefulness and 
pain. Succour the tempted. Give peace to the trou- 
bled in mind. Be Thou a Father to the fatherless, and 
a God of consolation to those who are desolate and 
oppressed. And give us all grace, that we m.ay abound 
in charity one towards another ; and do good unto all 
men, according to our Lord's example and command- 
ment. 

Pardon the imperfection of these our humble suppli- 
cations ; and grant unto us whatsoever things Thou 
knowest to be needful for us, for the sake of Jesus 
Christ our Saviour. 

Our Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



THIRD SATURDAY EVENING. 

Almighty and everlasting God, in whose favour 
is life, and in whose presence there are joys for ever ; 
whom angels and archangels continually adore ; and 
whom all Thy saints in heaven delight to worship ; we, 
who are not worthy to take Thy name into our lips, 
whose foundation is in the dust, whose very natures are 
unholy, and whose daily and hourly sins testify against 
us, desire, nevertheless, to join with all the heavenly 
host, in blessing and praising and magnifying Thy holy 
name ; imploring, at the same time, that the light 
of Thy reconciled countenance may shine upon us ; 
and that we may be pardoned and accepted in Thy 
sight. 

O God, we praise Thee, we bless Thee, we glorify 
Thy name, that Thou hast not left us in our low estate ; 
but hast sent salvation to us. We adore Thee for Thine 
infinite love and mercy, that Thou hast not spared Thine 
only-begotten Son, but hast freely given Him up for us 
all ; that this Lamb hath been slain, and this atoning 
sacrifice hath been made for the sins of the w^orld ; and 
that God is in Christ, reconciling the w^orld unto Him- 
self, not imputing our trespasses unto us. 

O Lord, w^e lament that we have felt during the past 
week so little love to Thee, who hast done such great 
things for us. We lament that earthly things have 
carried away our thoughts ; and that sin hath had such 
dominion over us ; and that the Gospel of our salvation 

14* 



162 THIRD SATURDAY EVENING. 

hath had so htlle power to make us humble and thank- 
ful, spiritual and heavenly-minded, patient and meek, 
and diligent in well-doing. 

We now beseech Thee to bless unto us Thy ap- 
proaching sabbath. May our hearts be warmed with 
love to Thee. May our prayers and our praises ascend 
with acceptance to the throne of Thy grace. May 
heavenly things occupy our thought ; and may the world 
lessen m our esteem. 

O God, we lament with shame and sorrow before 
Thee, that, notwithstanding all the means of grace, we 
have so little improved our time and talents, — have so 
little honoured Thee by our lives, — or advanced in true 
holiness. Day after day, we propose to amend our 
lives, to repent of all our past sins, and to forsake them 
henceforth for ever : — but how soon do our hearts again 
return to the world ; and our temptations again come 
upon us, and overpower us ; for our own utmost strength 
is weakness. 

To Thee, the Gon of all might and mercy, do we, 
therefore, now pray for grace to serve Thee. Thy face, 
O Lord, would we seek ; on Thee do we humbly wait ; 
beseeching Thee to deliver us from the power and do- 
minion of our sins, and to make Thy strength perfect 
in our weakness. 

Make us, henceforth, to be more fervent in prayer, 
and more conscious of our entire dependence on Thee, 
and of our infinite obligations to Thee ; that, so obtain- 
ing from Thee the efficacious help of Thy Holy Spirit, 
we may be estabhshed in Thy most holy ways ; and 
may be carried safely through all the dangers and trials 



FOURTH SATURDAY EVENING. 163 

of this mortal life ; till at length we shall sit down with 
Christ in His heavenly kingdom. 

We offer up these our imperfect prayers, in the name 
of that blessed Mediator. 

Oiir Father, <^c. 

The grace of our Lord, <^c. 



FOURTH SATURDAY EVENING. 

Almighty and most merciful God, unto whom all 
hearts are open, and from whom no secrets are hid, we 
beseech Thee to look down on us. Thy servants, who 
are here assembled to worship Thy holy name. 

We thank Thee for Thy daily goodness towards us ; 
for Thou hast made us to abound with the comforts of 
this life ; and hast delivered us out of many dangers 
to which we have been exposed. Thou hast also blest 
us with opportunities of religious knowledge ; and hast 
set continually before us the glorious hope of everlast- 
ing life. Thou hast guided us by Thy providence ; 
and, after many years of goodness and mercy, hast 
brought us to the conclusion of another week. 

We desire, O Lord, humbly to confess our manifold 
sins and trespasses against Thee. We have erred and 
strayed from Thy ways, like lost sheep. We have 
often wandered from the right path, through our igno- 



164 FOURTH SATURDAY EVENING. 

ranee and folly ; our pride and vanity ; our eager, 
selfish, and covetous desires ; our blindness, and preju- 
dice, and hardness of heart. Too often have we called 
evil, good ; and good, evil ; and shut our eyes against 
the truth. O Lord, pardon these and all our trans- 
gressions, for Jesus Christ's sake ; and make us to 
be, henceforth, more watchful and circumspect, more 
faithful and upright, more earnest to know our duty, as 
well as more diligent to perform it. 

Save us from a life of unprofitableness and sloth. 
Let us remember that Thou wilt require an account 
of the talents committed to us ; and that to whomso- 
ever much is given, of them shall much be required. 
Now, while we have life and a measure of health and 
strength, let us avail ourselves of those opportunities, 
which we possess of doing good in this evil world : 
and let us endeavour to abound more and more in every 
useful and benevolent work. 

We beseech Thee to prepare our minds for Thy 
service on the approaching sabbath. Deliver us from 
all eager thoughts concerning the things of this life ; 
and enable us on Thy sacred day to give our undivided 
attention to the great concerns of eternity. May we 
rejoice in every return of this holy season ; and may 
we go forth with willing feet to the worship of Thy 
sanctuary. 

We commend to Thy gracious care our several 
friends and relations. Save them from the dangers of 
this evil world : sanctify them to Thyself; and prepare 
them both by the events of Thy merciful providence, 
and by the guidance of Thy good Spirit, for that day, 



FIFTH SATURDA.Y EVENING. 165 

when both we, and they, shall be summoned to appear 
before Thee. 

We pray Thee to have mercy on the poor, the sick, 
and the afflicted ; and to dispose the hearts of many to 
have compassion upon them. 

Bless the President of these United States and all in 
authority. Give wisdom to our Houses of Congress, 
Inspire our clergy with the spirit of true religion ; and 
unite us all in the bonds of a common faith, one with 
another. 

Put an end to war and discord throughout the world. 
Do Thou, who art the God of love, dispose the nations 
to unity and concord ; and so order all events, that 
peace and happiness, truth and justice, religion and 
piety, may be established among us for all generations. 

These and all other blessings we humbly ask in the 
name of Jesus Christ, our only Saviour. 

Our Father, ^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



FIFTH SATURDAY EVENING. 

O Lord, God Almighty, who art our Creator and 
Preserver, and our daily Benefactor, assist us now to 
thank Thee, according to Thy will, for the mercies of 
the past day .; enable us to confess our sins, with devout 
and contrite hearts ; and teach us to pray, with fervent 



166 FIFTH SATURDAY EVENING. 

faith, unto Thee for Thy grace and protection, this night 
and for ever 

We bless Thee, O Lord our God, that thou hast 
permitted us to go out and come in, this day, in safety ; 
that Thou hast given us health and strength ; hast 
covered our table with plenty ; and has kept us free 
from trouble, and anxiety, and alarm. But we thank 
Thee, especially, for that knowledge of Thy Gospel, 
with which Thou hast blest us. We praise Thee for 
that glorious and rich inheritance in a hfe to come, 
which Thou hast set before us ; and for the gracious 
promise of the pardon of our sins, through Jesus 
Christ. 

For these Thy various and great gifts w^e desire to 
praise and magnify Thy holy name : and we pray that 
we may never forget the Author of our blessings ; but 
that, day by day, we may abound in thanksgiving ; and 
may, also, freely confess unto Thee all our sins, and 
may cry unto Thee, in deep penitence, for mercy. 

Forgive, O Lord, we now beseech Thee, whatso- 
ever evil Thou hast seen in us this day. We have 
done many things which we ought not to have done ; 
and w^e fear that w^e may at present be aware of only a 
small part of our offences ; for who can tell how oft he 
offendeth ! 

O Lord, cleanse Thou us from our secret faults. 

Pardon, we pray Thee, all the negligences of this 
day, as well as the more grievous transgressions. Par- 
don all our wasted time, our idle words, and our negli- 
gence in our several employments. Pardon, also, our 
evil tempers, our pride, and our envy ; — our anger and 



FIFTH SATURDAY EVENING. 167 

violence of spirit. O forgive whatsoever Tliou knowest 
to have been amiss in us, — Thou, O God, who seest 
our hearts, and piercest into our most secret thoughts. 

And, in order that we may obtain forgiveness of the 
sins both of this day and of our Uves past, we now 
plead that name of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, in which 
we have been taught by Thy Gospel to place all our 
confidence and. hope. O Father Almighty, pardon 
us, for His sake. We confess our guilt ; we desire to 
be truly sorry for our sins. Accept, therefore, this our 
repentance, since we trust not in ourselves, but only in 
Jestjs Christ our Lord and our God. May His death 
on the cross atone for our offences :~may His inter- 
cession with Thee prevail on our behalf. May we be 
of the number of those, who, renouncing their own 
righteousness, are saved by His grace. May we be- 
lieve unfeignedly in His name. May we be justified 
by this faith : and may we go to rest, night after night, 
having peace with Thee through Him, our Redeemer. 

We pray, also, that we may lie down in charity with 
all mankind. May we bear no malice nor hatred to 
any one in our hearts ; but may we commit ourselves 
to rest with thoughts of kindness, and forbearance, and 
meekness, and good-will to all. 

And we pray, also, that while we are commending 
ourselves to Thy grace and mercy, we may resolve, 
by Thy help, henceforth to cease from every sin, and 
to devote ourselves to Thy service. And to this end, 
may Thy Spirit continually strengthen and assist us. 
Do Thou, in the ensuing sabbath, put within us good 
desires, and holy thoughts ; and defend us from all 



168 FIFTH SATURDAY EVENING. 

kind of evil ; and enable us to worship Thee, accepta- 
bly, in the services of Thy house. Help us, day by 
day, to amend our ways. May we grow in grace, and 
learn more and more how we may walk so as to please 
Thee ; and thus may we be prepared for the hour of 
death, and for the day of judgment. 

O Lord, take us now into Thy holy keeping. Let 
Thy blessing be this night upon us, and upon all be- 
longing to us. 

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our only 
Saviour. Amen. 

Our Father, ^c. 

The grace of our Lord, ^c. 



THE END 



FAMILY COMMENTARY 



UPON THE 



SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 



Jg'*,«V'*.'V^'V/V^.«V«V^'*.«*/V'*.'V%/V'V^'V^'%.V'V-V-V'V'V^.«V-V^-V'V'V'%.^'% 



PREFACE. 



In the Preface to a volume of " Family Prayers," by 
the late Mr. Henry Thornton, which was printed last 
year, (1834,) it was stated, in substance, that portions of a 
"Family Commentary," by the same wise and good man, 
which, though never, indeed, intended for publication, were 
yet complete and fit for it, might, at no distant period, be 
expected to issue from the press. The present Comment- 
ary, upon the Sermon on the Mount, is one of those por- 
tions. The favourable reception of the " Family Prayers" 
deepens the Editor's regret, that, when, at length, after the 
lapse of many years from the Author's death, the publica- 
tion had been undertaken, any cause should have occurred 
to deprive the world, even for a day, of the benefit of the 
present Work. 

Those who have become familiar with the " Prayers," 
will recognise in this Volume the work of the same piety ; 
and will require no other notice of the Author, than that 
they already owe to him — the manual, abovementioned, of 
domestic worship. Without presuming to anticipate the 
judgment of others, the Editor, in committing this work to 
the blessing of God> and looking to that blessing, only, for 



IV PREFACE. 

its success, cannot withhold the expression of his own 
opinion, as more than justifying him in the publication, that, 
so far as he knows the works of the best divines, no other 
Commentator, on the same portion of Scripture, has com- 
bined, in an equal degree, a deep knowledge of the human 
heart, with an extensive experience of human life ; vigor- 
ous common sense, with high and holy wisdom ; Christian 
love, with Christian faithfulness. He has no hesitation in 
adding his belief, that, so far as can be said of any human 
being, the Author lived in the spirit of his Commentary. 

R. H. I. 
September 15, 1835. 



CONTENTS. 



OM. I. 


St. Matt 


V. 


II. 


(( 


u 


III. 


(( 


« 


IV. 


(( 


« 


V. 


(( 


(( 


VI. 


(C 


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PAGE. 

ver. 1—3 7 

" 4 9 

« 5 12 

« 6 14 

« 7 16 

« 8 19 

« 9 21 

« 10—12 25 

« 13—16 28 

" 17—19 31 

" 20 33 

" 21—26 36 

" 27, 28 39 

« 29, 30 41 

« 31, 32 44 

« 33—37 47 

« 38-42 50 

« 43-48 53 

ver. 1—4 56 

" 5—8 60 

" 9 63 

" 9 65 

" 10 66 

« 10 67 

" 11 68 

" 12 69 

" 13 71 

" 13 73 

" 13 76 



b CONTENTS, 

9AS& 

Com. XXX. St. Matt. VI. ver. 14, 15 80 

XXXI. " u u 16—18 84 

XXXn, « " « 19-21 88 

XXXra. " « « 22, 23 » 91 

XXXIV. »* «* « 24 97 

XXXV. « « « 25-34 103 

XXXVI. St.Matt.VH. ver. 1, 2 107 

xxxvn. <' « « a-5 no 

XXXVm. « « « 6 112 

XXXIX. « «i tt 7__ii 11^ 

XL. *♦ ** " 12 120 

XLI. « « « 13, 14 124 

XLH. «* « « 15, W 128 

XLIIL « « " 17—20 133 

XLIV. a « tt 21 137 

XLV. « »« « 22, 23 1^ 

XLVL « *♦ «^ 24— 29 (Part L) 149 

XLVn. «< « « (Part II.) 152 

XLVIII. « *^ *^ (Part IIL) 16& 



FAMILY COMMENTARY 



ON THE 



SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 



I. 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 1—3. 

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain : and when he 
was set, his disciples came unto him : and he opened his mouth, and 
taught them, saying. Blessed are the poor in spirit : for theirs is the 
kingdom of heaven. 

Towards the end of the last chapter, we read that our 
Saviour, while He healed the bodily diseases of the peo- 
ple, preached to them the gospel of the kingdom. From this 
and the following chapters we may learn the manner in 
which He preached it. 

In the beginning of His Sermon on the Mount, He de- 
livers many short but important sayings, sayings charac- 
teristic of His Gospel, sayings calculated to strike through 
their novelty, and their contrariety to the common maxims 
of his hearers. " And He opened his mouth, and taught 
them, saying. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is 
the kingdom of heaven." This would be a complete con- 
tradiction to the prevailing opinions of his hearers. It is 
the common sentiment that they are the most blest, who 
think the most favourably of themselves, and are the most 
fully persuaded that they are highly thought of by others^ 
7 



8 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

Self-complacency is the great source of human felicity. 
The mind of the man of this world dwells with pleasure on 
the thoughts of his own talents, of his own exertions, of 
his own attainments, his own wealth, his own influence. 
He also delights himself with the idea of his own moral 
excellence. He easily persuades himself, and he rejoices 
in the persuasion, that his dealings are just ; his integrity, 
strict ; his feelings, kind ; his charity, large ; his conduct, 
irreproachable ; and his heart, excellent. His very religion 
also becomes a source of self-complacency. He pleases 
himself with thinking how regular are his prayers ; and how 
punctual his attendance on divine service : how complete, 
in short, is the performance of his duty both to God and to 
man. Thus he is rich in his own eyes, in reference both 
to his natural endowments, his moral qualities, and even 
his religious observances. 

The religion of Christ stands directly opposed to the turn 
of mind which has been described. " Blessed are the 
poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," Man 
has no title to that complacency which is so natural to him. 
Has he endowments of body and mind ? These were 
bountifully given to him by God : and God, therefore, should 
have all the glory. Does he reply, " I have improved my 
natural talents by my own diligence." — " But on what 
motive have you been thus diligent ? Your very diligence 
has been your sin, if it have proceeded from an ambitious, 
worldly, covetous, or selfish principle. Let it, however, be 
admitted, that your diligence has arisen from the right 
motive, namely, that of pure love to God and to your fellow- 
creatures : — ^let it be admitted, that you have been a true 
Christian : yet, even in this case, your goodness has been 
imperfect ; — you have done less than you ought to have 
done ; after all, you are ' an unprofitable servant.' And 
moreover the little, which you have done aright, has been 
performed through the help of God's free grace working in 
you, so that there is no ground for self-complacency." The 
truth is, that man is a poor, dependent, weak, and sinful crea- 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 9 

ture ; and that he stands indebted to the divine goodness 
and mercy for every thing which he either has or hopes 
for. He cannot prove the justice of that praise which he 
assumes ; and the knowledge of this his weak and fallen 
state, is a fundamental point in religion. A man must be 
emptied of himself, in order that he may be filled with the 
blessings of the Gospel. He must become poor in spirit, 
in order that he may become rich in faith and a partaker 
of the kingdom of heaven. Blessed therefore is the man 
who thinks meanly of himself, and highly of his Maker and 
Redeemer. Blessed is the man who walks humbly with 
his God, and is also humble towards his fellow-creatures. 
Blessed is the man who both feels and manifests this pov- 
erty of spirit. This temper may not exalt him in the eye 
of the world ; but it is the temper befitting his condition — 
it is a temper honourable to God, and truly beneficial to his 
fellow-creatures. It is the temper which Christ has 
pronounced to be characteristic of the Christian. 



11. 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 4. 

Blessed are they that mourn : for they shall be comforted. 

"Blessed," says the world, " are the joyful and the gay. 
Blessed are the rich, the prosperous, and the healthy. 
Blessed are they who cast away care ; who laugh, and 
drink, and sing ; who are vexed by no earthly calamities, 
on the one hand ; and by no qualms of conscience, on the 
other ; who dread no devil ; who fear no hell ; who feel 
no awful forebodings of a judgment to come ; but having 



10 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

passed merrily through life, slip easily out of it, without 
much horror in their minds, and without even a dying 
groan." Such are the world's happy men ; such is their 
blessedness. How many songs have been written in praise 
of the life which we have described, and have been sung 
with a chorus of joy by many a large company! But 
blessed, says our Saviotjr, are they that mourn, for they 
shall be comforted. 

Our Saviour thus warns us against the common joy of 
the world ; for it is a joy which shall terminate in sorrow : 
whereas this is a sorrow which shall as assuredly end in 
joy. " Blessed are they that mourn." This may be inter- 
preted, first, as referring to the afflictions which many pious 
men endure ; while the gay and the thoughtless seem to 
be free from them. " They come into no trouble," said 
the Psalmist, " like other folk ; neither are they plagued 
like other men : their eyes stand out with fatness. They 
have more than heart could wish :" while he says of him- 
self, " All the day long have I been plagued^ and chastened 
every morning." 

Many parts of Scripture speak of the afflictions of the 
righteous ; as for instance — " Whom the Lord loveth he 
chasteneth ; and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth :'* 
and again, " Many are the troubles of the righteous, but 
the Lord delivereth him out of them all." The truth is, 
that affliction and trouble are the means by which God very 
frequently brings the sinner to himself: while worldly hap- 
piness and prosperity are often the portion of those who 
possess the most hardened hearts. How many Christians 
can bear witness to the truth of this saying of Qhrist. 
They were once as gay and unconcerned, as their most 
thoughtless friends are now. They joined in the midnight 
feast and revelry ; and they praised the god of laughter and 
the god of wine. But while proceeding in this course, they 
were overtaken by some calamity, by sickness, poverty, or 
some bitter disappointment ; and the affliction, which seemed 
at first to be the deathblow to their hopes, subdued in them 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 11 

the love of this world ; and became the beginning of a new 
life of faith and hope and joy and satisfaction in God. They 
exchanged, therefore, a turbulent and heedless joy, which 
would have soon ended in sorrow, for a sorrow which has 
led to permanent and real joy. 

But secondly, the mourning spoken of in this passage 
may be understood as referring to that sorrow, on account 
of sin, which the Christian has felt, especially on his first 
repentance ; and which he continues to feel, in the daily 
exercise of the same grace. The sorrow of which we 
before spoke often ends in joy ; this always does : for this 
is that godly sorrow mentioned by St. Paul, which " work- 
eth repentance unto salvation not to be repented of." Re- 
pentance is the foundatien of all true comfort in religion. 
And repentance is accompanied with many a distressing 
thought, perhaps by many a tear, certainly by many a sor- 
rowful remembrance of past negligences and sins ; but such 
sorrow is soon turned into joy ; therefore " blessed are they 
who thus mourn, for they shall be comforted." 

Let us not, then, complain of religion as gloomy ; though 
we should see some pious persons severely afflicted and 
often much cast down. They are cast down perhaps only 
for a time. They may be suffering under a deep sense of 
their own unworthiness, and as yet but imperfectly ac- 
quainted with the grace of their Redeemer. A Mary 
weeping at the feet of Jesus, and even a Lazarus lying at 
the gate full of sores, are happier than a Dives clothed 
with purple and fine linen, and faring sumptuously every 
day. One in his lifetime receives his good things ; and 
the other, his evil things ; but soon the one shall be com- 
forted ; and the other, tormented. " Blessed" then (as our 
Saviour is represented to say in another gospel) " are ye 
that hunger now, for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye 
that weep now, for ye shall laugh. But woe unto you who 
are rich, for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto 
you who laugh now, for ye shall mourn and weep."* The 
*St. Luke, vi. 21, 25. 



12 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

laughter of the ungodly is as the crackling of thorns which 
is soon over ; but the affliction of the righteous, though for 
the present it be not joyous but grievous, afterwards bringeth 
forth the peaceable ifruits of righteousness. 



III. 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 5. 

Blessed are the meek : for they shall inherit the earth. 

Our Saviour here delivers another important truth, 
and he borrows his language from the 37th Psalm. The 
Psalmist, after speaking of the wicked, who seem for a 
while to prosper in the world, exhorts the righteous not to 
fret on that account ; for " evil doers shall be cut off: but 
those that wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth ;" 
and he adds in another verse, " But the meek shall inherit 
the earth." We may discover, partly from these words, 
and partly from other passages in the same Psalm, what 
was the precise meaning of our Saviour. By the meek, 
those persons are intended, who, laying aside that ambition 
which is common in the world, resort to no violent or un- 
just means of advancing their fortune ; but commit them- 
selves quietly and patiently to God, wait His time, trust 
His providence, are content to let others gain an advantage 
over them, and even bear the injustice of a neighbour, a 
rival, and an enemy, without being ruffled by it. The meek, 
says David, shall inherit the earth. The promises of the 
Old Testament were generally temporal ; life and immor- 
tality having been brought dearly to light, only by the Gos- 
pel. Nevertheless under the veil of these temporal prom- 
ises, spiritual blessings were shadowed forth. The term 
used in the Old Testament, " shall inherit the earth," might, 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 13 

therefore, under the New Testament dispensation, be prop- 
erly rendered " shall be blessed." We may, then, deduce 
from this saying of Christ, that to the meek were the 
promises made imder the Old Testament, by modes of ex- 
pression suited to that dispensation ; and that to the meek 
also, were the promises made under the New ; the Old and 
the New Testament being in this respect perfectly agreed. 

Perhaps it would not be difficult to show that the promise 
of a blessing to the meek is often fulfilled even in this life, 
under our dispensation ; for though the turbulent frequently 
seize the possession of the earth, the meek more truly enjoy 
it. To occupy peaceably a small estate, is better than to 
gain by violence a large domain ; of v/hich the right is 
disputed; and the possession, continually interrupted. It 
is more truly to " inherit the earth." 

Let us then value the advantages of meekness, above all 
the precarious power and riches which may be acquired 
by turbulence of spirit. Let us also remember that we are 
specially called by Christ to the exercise of this grace. 
Christians must be the quiet persons of the land : they 
must not be forward, and assuming, and ambitious ; — eager, 
factious, and dissatisfied. They must be content with such 
things as they have : they must not envy the prosperous : — 
they must, in their very religion, avoid noise and disputa- 
tion, " for the servant of the Lord must not strive, but must 
be gentle unto all men : — in meehness instructing those that 
oppose themselves." That violence, which is so common 
among other men, should have no place among believers. 
In women, particularly, meekness is a most becoming grace. 
Their chief ornament should, as the Apostle says, be that 
" ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight 
of God of great price." But it is a virtue which is excel- 
lent in all, and is required of all. To be meek, is to follow 
Christ ; it is to follow both His precepts and His example. 
" Come, take my yoke upon you," said our Saviour, " and 
learn of me ; for I am meek and lowly of heart : and ye 
shall find rest unto your souls." 
B 



14 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

IV. 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 6. 

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness : for 
they shall be filled. 

The word " righteousness," when it occurs in the Old 
Testament, commonly stands for the whole of religion. It 
there includes duty to God as well as to man, — faith as well 
as practice : and the word is here to be understood in a no 
less genera] sense ; for Christ, who was by birth a Jew, 
and who for the most part spoke to Jews, addressed them 
in those expressions which were common in the Old Tes- 
tament ; usually intending, however, to give His words that 
more exalted meaning which was required by the spiritu- 
ality of the new dispensation. 

The term " righteousness," when here used by Christ, 
may, therefore, be understood to imply every thing which 
characterizes His religion. As the expression, when used 
by David, stood for the whole of the religion of the Old 
Testament; so here in the mouth of Christ, it stands for 
the whole Gospel : for things to be done, as well as truths 
to be believed ; for doctrine, and for practice ; for duties, 
and for privileges also. " Blessed, then, are they who, 
thus, hunger and thirst after righteousness." 

Now the generality of mankind hunger and thirst after 
far other things. Wealth is the chief good of some. If 
they were asked what is the great object at which they 
aim, they would admit that it is to make their fortunes ; 
and perhaps would be surprised to hear an insinuation, that 
there could be any harm in allowing this to be the chief 
desire of the heart. Others desire not wealth so much as 
the things which wealth can purchase. They wish for 
ease and enjoyment ; and, because they seek these in no 
very scandalous or forbidden way, they are unconscious of 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 15 

their falling short of the Christian character. Others desire 
honour : — they wish above all things to be in repute among 
their neighbours. Credit at home, or honour abroad, are 
the things which they hunger and thirst after ; and these, 
especially if they pursue reputation by means which are not 
ordinarily deemed dishonourable, are no less confident of 
the sufficiency of their virtue. Thus, all seek some worldly 
good ; and all imagine, that they shall be supremely blest, 
if they can but attain their object. 

But " blessed," says our Saviour : (who here again is 
opposing the common maxims of mankind) " blessed are 
they who hunger and thirst after righteousness.'''' — " Blessed 
is the man who no longer hungers and thirsts after the 
things of this life, of which the attainment is uncertain, and 
which will be found unsatisfying, if they should be attained ; 
but blessed is he who hungers and thirsts after righteousness ; 
— that is, blessed is he who longs, like one who is hungry 
and athirst, to obtain possession of every thing which is 
included in my Gospel. Blessed is he who desires pardon 
of his iniquities, and peace with God, a share in the atone- 
ment which I am to offer up for man ; and the aid of all 
the influences of my Spirit. Blessed is he who longs to 
have the victory over his sins, and to have all holy affections 
excited in him. Blessed is he who wishes to have his un- 
derstanding enlightened, that he may know all the doctrines 
of my religion ; to have his conscience made tender and 
afraid of sinning ; and to have his heart purified by faith. 
Blessed is he who accounts his chief joy to be joy in God ; 
and his chief consolations, the consolations of my Spirit. 
Blessed is the man whose hungering and thirsting is of this 
description ; for he shall be filled : he shall obtain the things 
which he desires ; his very longing for them is a pledge 
that he shall possess them. Worldly things disappoint him 
who pursues them : but it is the maxim of my kingdom, 
that he v^ho has the true desire after righteousness, — he 
who hungers and thirsts, not after a part only, but after the 
whole of my Gospel, shall assuredly be filled ; and such is 



16 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

the gracious and encouraging promise which I now pro- 
mulgate to my disciples ; he shall possess all the privileges 
of the children of God ; he shall be a member of my l^ing- 
dom here ; and, in the world to come, he shall have life 
everlasting." 

Such is plainly the meaning of this saying of Christ. 
Let us then be fearful of fixing our hearts on earthly things ; 
and let us remember that the promise extends to all gen- 
erations : " Blessed are they which do hunger and 

THIRST after RIGHTEOUSNESS : FOR THEY SHALL BE 
FILLED." 



v. 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 7. 

Blessed are the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy. 

No temper of mind has been more absolutely required by 
Christianity than a disposition to show mercy ; and the 
reason is plain. The Gospel teaches that man is himself 
an offender against his Creator ; and that he owes to the 
grace of God all his own hope of salvation. If, then, we 
expect to have the benefit of the Divine Mercy, we ought 
to be ever ready to show mercy to our fellow-creatures. 
Christ, in many modes, and on various occasions, urged 
this duty on his disciples. At one time. He related to them 
the story (or parable) of a servant, who, having had the 
great sum of ten thousand talents freely forgiven, cast his 
fellow-servant into prison, on account of a debt of only one 
hundred pence. " Oh thou wicked servant," said his lord, 
" I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me : 
shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow- 
servant, even as 1 had pity on thee ? and his lord was 
wroth ; and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 17 

pay all tliat was due unto him. So likewise shall my 
heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts 
forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." Our 
Saviour, even in that short summary of a prayer, which 
He taught to his disciples, has inserted an expression which 
forcibly inculcates the necessity of this forgiving spirit. 
He instructs us to say, *' forgive us our trespasses, as we 
forgive them that trespass against us." And it is observable, 
that, after He had delivered the prayer, He addressed these 
words to his disciples, " for if ye forgive men their tres- 
passes, your heavenly Father wdll also forgive you : but if 
ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Fathe^r 
forgive your trespasses."* 

This expression remarkably accords with those words 
in the Sermon on the Mount which we are now considering. 
" Blessed are the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy ;" 
and it might have been added, woe be to the unmerciful, for 
they shall not obtain mercy : or, as the Old Testament 
expresses it, " he shall have judgment without mercy who 
hath showed no mercy." 

This saying of Christ, like many others which preceded 
it, would undoubtedly seem new to the multitude ; for the 
world was then much less inclined to mercy, than it is at 
present. On the one hand, the Jews, though taught by their 
Prophets to show mercy, were become false interpreters 
of their own Scriptures. They admitted, indeed, that they 
were taught to love their neighbour ; but they deduced from 
this very precept a right to hate their enemy. On the other 
hand, the heathen had no idea of the duty of forgiving 
injuries. 

Now, indeed, w^e all agree, that it is a Christian duty to 
show mercy. Christ has said this so plainly, that it is 
not possible to deny it. But has the spirit, which is here 
condemned by Christ, been expelled out of the Christian 
world ? Far from it. If this were the case, if this one 
Christian temper were fully attained, we might fairly hope 
* St. Matt. vi. 14, 15. 



18 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

that other graces might be possessed in like perfection ; for 
one Christian disposition fails not to accompany another ; 
and thus, according to the expression of this passage, 
since all were become truly merciful, so all might obtain 
mercy. 

It is much to be suspected, that many, who freely admit 
the excellency of this saying of Christ, contrive to evade 
it. They, for instance, who say that they freely forgive 
an injury but cannot forget it, break this admonition of 
Christ. They also, y^ho profess both to forget and to for- 
give, may manifest by some part of their conduct that they 
are transgressors on this point. And even they who confer 
some favour on the person who has injured them, may not 
be clear of the sin in question : since the very pride of 
superiority may lead a man to confer a favour on him from 
whom an injury has been experienced. To receive a fa- 
vour from an enemy is a better proof of a forgiving spirit 
than to bestow it. 

The chief point for examination is the temper of mind in 
which we live towards those whom we account our ene- 
mies. Do we, then, rejoice to show mercy to others, 
heartily and freely, and in the same manner in which Goi> 
shows mercy to us, who giveth to all men liberally, and 
upbraideth not ? Arc we the first to seek to be reconciled 
when we have had a quarrel against any, or do we expect 
the other party to make previous submission ? Are our 
reconciliations, also, sincere and complete ? Is there no 
root of bitterness left within us, even after a seeming agree- 
ment has taken place ? Do we feel alienated from no one ? 
would our very heart, if it could be seen, exhibit compassion, 
and tenderness, and benevolence, and lovingkindness to all, 
not excepting him whom we have accounted to be wanting 
in proper kindness, and beneficence towards us 1 

Do we live, in short, under the powerful influence of that 
great principle of the Gospel, — that we ourselves have sin- 
ned against God, ten thousand times more than any fellow- 
creature has ever trespassed against us ; and that, as we 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 19 

hope nevertheless to find mercy, so we must also show- 
mercy, and show it not only by some special acts, but by 
our whole character and conduct among our fellow-sinners 1 



VI. 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 8. 

Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see God. 

Purity of heart is another principal point in the char- 
acter of the religion of Christ. In this respect, Chris- 
tianity differs from the common systems of the world. Men 
of the world make morality to consist in the external act, 
and pay little regard to the motive. They are, also, partial 
in their morality. Men, for instance, who are occupied in 
the administration of government, are apt to consider obe- 
dience to the laws to be the great test of morality. Only 
the outward act, indeed, is cognizable by them. They do 
not concern themselves about purity of heart. Masters, in 
like manner, are inclined to judge of the character of their 
servants by what those servants are to them. If the external 
conduct of the servant be proper, the master is satisfied. 
He adverts not to the secret sins which the servant may 
commit ; nor does he know whether the servant's motive 
to obedience to him be religious, or not. Many a servant, 
therefore, is called a good servant, who in the sight of God 
is a wicked man ; " for God judgeth the heart." Traders 
estimate the character of their fellow-traders by the honesty 
of their dealings : and all men, indeed, are agreed in 
esteeming honesty very highly, because they have an ob- 
vious interest in maintaining it. The poor judge of the 
moral character of the rich, by the liberality of their char- 
acter ; and do not inquire whether the beneficence spring 
from ostentation, or from any other evil principle in the 



20 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

heart. They do not consider whether an act of bounty to 
themselves may not be crueUy to others. Even ministers 
of the Gospel, (through the weakness natural to man,) 
sometimes perhaps too easily assume that person to be good 
who attends their ministry, who swells their congregation, 
and is moral in respect to the outward actions of his life : 
since ministers see not the heart. 

It is, therefore, an easy thing to acquire a good character 
in the world. In general, you have only to act towards any 
person in the manner which shall gratify his feelings, agree 
with his convenience, and promote his interest ; and you 
shall be pronounced by him to be a worthy man. Such is 
the world's morality. He is moral who serves and pleases 
us ; and he is immoral who contradicts or injures us ; we 
assume his heart to be good if the man have been good to us. 

This false mode of judging others tends to false judg- 
ment of ourselves ; because too many attend more to the 
character which they have with men, than to what they are 
in the sight of God. It is exceedingly difficult to call men 
away from the consideration of what others think of them : 
to make them meditate on their own way, scrutinize their 
motives, and examine whether amidst all the accomplish- 
ments which they receive, they are sincere in the sight of 
their Omniscient Judge. 

" Blessed," says our Saviour, " are the pure in heart, 
for they shall see God." Purity of heart, indeed, leads to 
the fulfilment of every part of morality ; and not of morality 
alone, but of religion also. To this purity it is the great 
end of Christianity to bring us. The Pharisees did all to 
be seen of men. Their very alms became a sin ; because 
they were not done from a right motive. Their religion 
also consisted in forms and ceremonies in which the heart 
had no part. The religion of Christ stands opposed to all 
systems of partiality and hypocrisy. All the doctrines of 
Christianity have, therefore, a manifest tendency to promote 
this purity. A principle of purity is connected with its 
faith, its hope, and its charity. Of its faith, it is observed 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 21 

in Scripture, that God " purified men's hearts by faith." 
Every one that hath this hope, is said to purify himself as 
God is pure: and the great Christian grace of love, or 
charity, is thus spoken of by the Apostle ; — " Now the end 
of the commandments is charity, out of a pure heart, and a 
good conscience, and faith unfeigned." 

" Blessed are the pure in heart ; for they shall see God." 
The words imply, that they, and they only, shall see Him ; 
for "without holiness, no man shall see the Lord." God 
is pure ; and they who hope to enter into His presence 
must be pure also. Heaven is a place into which nothing 
shall enter that defileth. Spotless purity, indeed, is not to 
be attained here ; but it is to be cultivated on earth, in 
order that it may be perfected in heaven. It is, indeed, for 
this purpose, that the Holy Spirit is bestowed. To purify 
our hearts is the great end of His coming. Let us then 
pray for His di\dne influence upon us. The death of 
Christ, — the great atonement for sin,— is spoken of in 
Scripture as tending also to our purification ; for " He gave 
himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, 
and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good 
works." 



VII. 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 9. 



Blessed are the peacemakers ; ' for they shall be called the children 

of God. 

Our Saviour here names another of those dispositions 
by which a Christian was to be known : and pronounces 
the possessor of it to be blessed. The introduction of a 
more peaceable spirit into this violent and contentious 
world was one of the great ends to be brought about by the 



22 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

Gospel : and the Apostle, in exact agreement with his 
Master, speaks thus to all Christians : " If it be possible, 
as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." 

Here, however, it will perhaps be objected : — " But has 
not Christianity been the cause of many wars, as well as 
of heats and animosities among the several sects who pro- 
fess it ? Do not individuals often quarrel on the very sub- 
ject of religion 1 Does not Christianity, therefore, hinder 
peace, instead of promoting it ; and are not many Christians 
very far from peaceable ?" Two answers must be given to 
this objection. First, it must be admitted, that Christianity 
(and we mean real Christianity) has been the innocent cause 
of many differences. It has necessarily created a new di- 
versity of opinion. Imagine to yourself a family in which 
all the members agree to forget God ; and to live wickedly, 
without upbraiding or reproving one another. And, then, 
imagine a part of this wicked family (and at first only a 
small part) to become sensible of their former wickedness, 
and to begin to lead a new life, and to wish to bring the rest 
of the family to the same sentiments. Do you not see, that, 
in such a case, a contention will arise which there was not 
before ; the good, by their conduct, and sometimes also by 
their speech, reproving the wicked ; and the wicked be- 
coming exasperated at the reproof? And to whose fault 
ought this new contention to be charged ? The wicked, no 
doubt, Avill be inclined to say, that it is the fault of those 
who have introduced the new opinions ; and who assume 
themselves to be so much better than their neighbours ; 
but is it not much fairer, to affirm that the wicked are in 
fault, who are determined to retain their wickedness ; espe- 
cially if the good should be peaceable in their behaviour, 
and if this peaceableness of temper should have made a 
striking part of their very change ? 

Such is the fair explanation of the manner in which 
Christianity has been the occasion of new differences. In 
this respect, we grant that it has broken the peace of the 
world. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 23 

But there is another observation to be made in answer to 
the objection. Many false Christians have appeared ; and 
these have caused much disputation respecting religion. A 
rash, vehement, and unguarded conduct has often been con- 
founded with zeal for the Gospel. Some persons think 
that every kind of religious stir in the world is good and 
desirable. They forget that the Gospel is the Gospel of 
peace : and should never even be preached in a spirit of 
hostility and disputation. Reconciliation and peace with 
God, and peace and love among men, are the chief things 
which it teaches. Whoever, therefore, in attempting to 
spread the Gospel is only indulging his own natural 
passions, should not be considered among the real Chris- 
tians ; nor should his Gospel be accounted to be the true 
Gospel of Christ. 

Having thus answered the objection, let us proceed more 
particularly to consider the duty which is implied in this 
precept of Christ — " Blessed are the peacemakers ; for 
they shall be called the children of God." The Christian, 
then, though by his holy singularity he may innocently 
cause others to take offence, will himself endeavour to be 
at peace with every one. He will be engaged in healing 
quarrels, not in inflaming them ; his very profession will be 
that of a peacemaker. Are any persons at variance 1 — He 
is glad to compose strife, to lessen differences, and to calm 
down all the bad passions of men. His own tempers 
having been subdued and regulated by the Gospel, he is 
qualified to become a mediator to others ; and he is willing 
to become umpire in any dispute, Avhich he can indulge the 
hope of being able to compose. While other men, by their 
ungoverned tempers, enter into quarrels themselves, and, 
also, by the rashness of their tongues, encourage heats and 
animosities in others, the Christian is prudent and gentle ; 
he fears lest, by spreading a false tale, or by making a 
hasty charge, or by taking too strong a side either with one 
party or another, he should be the means of increasing 
feuds ; he therefore keeps his tongue as with a bridle ; he 



24 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

does not repeat one half the tales which he has heard, be- 
cause he knows that peace will best be promoted by his 
silence ; and he prefers peace to the indulgence of his 
vanity, or of his talkativeness. Do any speak violently to 
him ? He does not answer them as violently, for he wishes 
to be at peace with them ; he is such a lover of peace that 
he will not break i% though he should be reflected on for his 
quietness. He pursues this cautious plan, healing many 
quarrels, and causing none ; and labouring to bring all men 
to love one another. War and discord are his aversion. A 
national war he will be slow to justify : he will join in it 
only on the ground of self-defence, and of its appearing 
not to be av^oided with safety. And lastly, he will be a 
promoter of peace in matters of religion. " The wisdom 
which is from above, is first pure, indeed, and then peace- 
ahUr It is pure in the first place, and peaceable in the 
second. After looking well, therefore, in the first place to 
the purity of religion, he will next consider how peace may 
best be consulted. " Peace, he will say, as well as grace, 
be with all them that love the Lord Jesus in sincerity." 
He will rate very highly the importance of preserving 
peace in the Church of God ; and will be very fearful of 
multiplying sects and creating needless dissension. He 
knows that edification is best promoted amidst the tran- 
quillity of the Church : for the " fruit of righteousness is 
sown in peace of them that make peace." It is not sown 
amidst the noisy disputation and virulent invectives of 
angry and contending parties. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 25 

VIII. 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 10, 11, 12. 

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness* sake; for 

theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall 

say all manner of evil against you, falsely, for my sake : 
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven ; for 

so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. 

Our Saviour here sets before his disciples the oppo- 
sition and persecution which they were to expect in this 
world, on the one hand ; and the glorious reward in a life 
to come, on the other. His doctrine v/ould, in this respect, 
seem new to his hearers. The Pharisees were of a re- 
ligion which brought to them much honour from men ; and 
the general body of the Jews had no idea that a man's re- 
ligious faith would expose him to trial and persecution. 
The religion, indeed, both of the Pharisees, and of the body 
of the Jews, was an easy and popular religion ; it was not 
the struggling religion of a minority. The professors of it 
had only to swim with the stream ; they neither combated 
their own natural corruption, nor the common errors and 
iniquities of the age. 

In this respect the disciples of Christ were to differ 
from the Jews ; and of this difference our Saviour gives 
notice, in the passage which we are considering. It is, as 
if He had said, " Think not that if you are my followers, 
all men shall speak well of you. Far from it ; — if you 
follow me, you must expect much reproach." The servants 
of God have in all ages been the objects of censure to those 
who lived at the same time with them ; though they may 
have been extolled by the worldly people of succeeding 
ages. Learn, therefore, to consider the opposition of the 
age in which you live, as a proof that you are followers of 

c 



26 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

the Prophets who went before you ; and be content to be as 
ill received as they. " Blessed are they which are per- 
secuted for righteousness' sake. Blessed are ye when men 
shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of 
evil against you, falsely, for my sake : Rejoice and be exceed- 
ing glad." Account yourselves happy in the midst of your 
persecutions ; for great is your reward in Heaven. Look 
forward to that immense recompense which awaits you ; 
and which shall be proportioned to your persecutions here 
on earth. Take care, indeed, that you are reviled not far 
that which is evil, but for that which is good. Be sure 
that whatever is said against you, be said " falsely," and 
*' for my sake." Let the reproach be on account of faith- 
fulness to my cause ; and while you continue thus faithful 
and thus reproached, not only be not cast down, but rejoice, 
even, and be exceediQg glad ; for *' great is your reward in 
Heaven." 

Such was our Saviour's language to his disciples ; and 
it is no small proof of the truth of his religion that it was 
received under such discouraging circumstances. They 
embraced persecutions and tribulations, having been told 
to expect them ; but they embraced at the same time the 
hope of eternal glory ; and this hope supported them, even 
under the pains of martyrdom. Though, for a time, fearful 
and weak in faith : yet, when endued with that " power 
from on high," which they received on the day of Pentecost, 
they learned to fear the face of no man. We find, that, 
when beaten with many stripes, " they rejoiced, that they 
w^ere counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of 
Christ ;" we read, also, that Paul and Silas, when in prison, 
*' sung praises to God ;" and we hear the Apostle thus 
expressing himself — " For Thy sake we are killed all the 
day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ? Shall 
tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine, or na- 
kedness, or peril, or sword ? Nay, in all these things, 
we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 27 

Let us now consider how far we are to apply this pas- 
sage to ourselves. 

And, first, it shall be allowed, that the same persecution, 
to which the Apostles and early Christians were exposed, 
by no means threatens us. The world is now governed by 
better laws : and this is one reason why the modern Chris- 
tian does not experience the same degree of ill-treatment : 
another reason is, that the faith of Christ has now been 
established. The Christian minister of this day does not 
like the Apostles, proclaim a faith entirely new ; he does 
not oppose as they did, all the professed opinions of men. 
Still, however, the case is not altogether changed. Perse- 
cution indeed has, generally speaking, ceased ; but oppo- 
sition to the Gospel of Christ (we mean to the Gospel 
preached and practised in its primitive purity and strictness) 
certainly has not. It is but. too plain, that the world at this 
day is not truly Christian ; and that, even in Christian lands, 
the majority are very unchristian people. Vice and wick- 
edness prevail openly in many places. Practical infidelity 
is in the hearts of thousands who fancy themselves to be 
true believers : and every where we meet with unchristian 
maxims, sentiments, and customs. It is, therefore, as plain 
a duty in the modern Christian to resist the stream of the 
world, as ever it was in the primitive one. Like the 
prophets of old, he has to bear his testimony on the side 
of God and holiness ; amidst a multitude of gainsayers. 
He has not to expose, like the Apostles, his back to stripes, 
and his life to martyrdom. But since he is delivered from 
these greater trials, let him the more cheerfully endure the 
smaller. Let him not fear to assert his Christian singu- 
larity, to resist the corrupt customs of this generation, and 
to avoid those amusements of the world which are accom- 
modated to its unchristian taste, and are unbecoming the 
purity and strictness of the Gospel. Let him refuse, in 
short, in a thousand instances, to do as others do ; and let 
him practise many things which others, deeming them un- 
necessary strictnesses, do not care to practise. Let him 



28 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

sometimes reprove others for their sins, — a duty which is 
indeed quite indispensable in Christian ministers. Finally, 
let him, who has as yet experienced no opposition, examine 
whether his faith and his practice be not accommodated to 
the taste of the world in a manner quite unauthorized by 
Scripture ; and if the dread of opposition have been the 
hindrance to his profession of a purer Christianity, let him 
remember who hath said, " Except a man take up his cross 
daily, he cannot be my disciple ;" and " except a man for- 
sake even his father and mother and wife and children 
(when they are his hindrance in the Gospel,) yea, and his 
own life also, he cannot be my disciple." And again, 
" Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of 
him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in 
the glory of his Father, and with his holy Angels." 



IX. 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 13, 14, 15, 16. 

Ye are the salt of the earth : but if the salt have lost his savour, where- 
with shall it be salted 1 It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be 
cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 

Ye are the hght of the world. A city that is set on an hill, cannot be hid. 

Neither do men Ught a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candle- 
stick ; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, 
and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 

How high an idea of Christianity does our Saviour 
here present to us. Christians are the " salt of the earth." 
In them ought to be that savour by which the whole world is 
to be seasoned. Again, Christians are the " light of the 
world." By them is the moral darkness of this wicked 
world to be enhghtened. And again, " they are like a city 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 29 

set upon a hill." They are to be conspicuous to all around, 
tor their superior virtue and excellence. Such did Christ, 
when He was on earth, require his disciples to be ; and 
such in fact they were, in the first ages of the Church. In ^ 
these degenerate days an opinion prevails, and even among 
many who call themselves Christians, that we should not 
be particular in any respect ; that we ought not to profess 
any more religion than our neighbours ; that it is presump- 
tuous to suppose that we can enlighten others ; and illiberal 
to think that our own mode of faith is the best. But how 
inconsistent is such language with these sayings of 
Christ ! Are we not required to be singular ? It is to 
be feared, that they, who entertain sentiments so lowering 
to the character of religion, are the persons who are 
condemned in the latter part of the thirteenth verse. I 
mean that they are salt which has *' lost its savour," — 
Christians without the spirit of Christianity ; and, just as 
salt, which has become tasteless, is only " fit to be cast on 
the ground, and trodden under foot of men," so are these 
ordinary and insipid Christians fit only to be cast out of the 
Christian Church. 

Let us now, more particularly, consider the duty re- 
quired by these words of Christ. Undoubtedly it is not 
intended by them that we should be ostentatious in our re- 
ligion ; for we are commanded to be *' poor in spirit" and 
to be meek and lowly in heart. Cpirist, nevertheless, 
must mean to insist that there should be such a character 
and tone in our religion, as shall distinguish us from the 
world. He expects the difierence between us and other 
men to be so great, that other men shall be struck by that 
difference. This is the manner in which He has ordained 
that the work of converting mankind shall be carried on. 
Our light is so to shine before men, that they (seeing 
our good works) may glorify our Father which is in 
heaven. Christ has appointed preaching to be one of the 
means of extending His kingdom : but He has not more 
plainly directed ministers to preach, than He has com* 



30 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

manded private Christians so to shine by their life and 
conversation that men may thereby be brought to the 
knowledge of the Gospel. A Christianity, therefore, which 
has in it nothing particular, which exhibits no other virtue 
than that of many infidels, which allows its professors to 
conform themselves to the world, and in no respect rises 
above mediocrity, is no Christianity in His sight : for how 
can he, who has none of that higher virtue which attracts 
notice, be compared to ** a city set on a hill which cannot 
be hid ?" — How can he, who never endeavoured by the 
brightness of his example to enlighten the circle of his 
worldly neighbours, be likened to " a candle which is set 
upon a candlestick, and giveth light to all that are in the 
house ?" — And how can he, who does not differ from the 
mass of mankind, be compared to salt, by the virtue of 
which the rest of the world is to be seasoned ? Such persons 
should stand reproved by these sayings of Christ : and, 
indeed, there is scarcely a sentence in this Sermon on the 
Mount, which might not reprove them. 

But we may also apply this passage to the case of some 
seriously disposed persons ; we mean to the case of those 
who are so engrossed by the consideration of the remaining 
corruptions of their nature, and so fearful both of ostentation 
in religion, and of self-righteousness, that they do not 
enough consider themselves as called by Christianity to an 
open profession of their faith, and an open exercise of their 
good works. It is true, that we are directed to let our alms 
be in secret, and not let our left hand know what our right 
hand doeth. But are we not instructed in this passage, 
that we are to resemble a candle, which men do not put 
under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that it may give light 
to the whole house ? There is, therefore, a middle w^ay 
between Pharisaical ostentation, and a false and studied 
humility. Our works should be seen, though they should 
not be done in order to be seen. They should be so far 
plain and public, that men may be led by them " to glorify 
our Father which is in heaven." 



i 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 31 

May our light in every respect shine before men ! may 
we, as citizens of the government imder which we live, as 
husbands and wives, as parents and children, as masters 
and servants, fulfil the duties of our several stations in a 
manner so exemplary and striking, that all those who are 
acquainted with us may acknowledge how excellent a thing 
it is to be a Christian. 



X. 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 17—19. 

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets : I am not 

come to destroy, but to fulfil. 
For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle 

shall in nowise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and 

shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of 

heaven : but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be 

called great in the kingdom of heaven. 

One error of the Jews, and one ground of their prejudice 
against Christ, consisted in an opinion that He was come 
" to destroy the law and the prophets :" — that is, to over- 
throw whatsoever Moses and the prophets had said. Christ 
here declares that He came for the very contrary purpose : 
" I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." 

The religion of Moses came from God. The one, there- 
fore, could not be contrary to the other. Christ was not 
the rival, or the enemy, of Moses ; and consequently, it 
ought not to be supposed, that the Jews who joined them- 
selves to Christ, apostatized from their own lawgiver. 

It is true, that, after the coming of Christ, many cere- 
monies belonging to the former dispensation were abolished ; 
for these were no longer necessary. They had been 



3^ FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

** figures for the time then present." They had been estab- 
lished in order to prefigure Christ ; and to supply some 
divine information of the doctrines, which He and his 
apostles were more fully to reveal. Christ on this account 
ought to be considered as having come to fulfil the law and 
the prophets, not to overthrow them. He fulfilled that which 
was said by the prophets, — by accomplishing their prophecies 
concerning Himself. He fulfilled that which was said by 
Moses, — by accomplishing the types and ceremonies which 
Moses had enjoined. He also fulfilled the law of Moses, 
by being himself perfectly obedient to that law : and He 
fulfilled it, by requiring from His disciples obedience to all 
the moral parts of it; an obedience indeed, far stricter than 
that which was paid to it by the Pharisees. " Verily I say 
unto you," said Christ, " till Heaven and earth pass, one 
jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law, till all be 
fulfilled : whosoever therefore shall break one of these least 
commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called 
the least in the kingdom of heaven ; but whosoever shall 
do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the 
kingdom of heaven." How does Christ do honour to the 
law by these words. Woe be to those,' who, though they 
may profess to honour it, do not honour it by their obedience. 
Some have fancied, that to speak contemptuously of the 
Law, is a sign of their proficiency in the Gospel. " Since 
the Gospel," say they, " is the Gospel of Grace, there is no 
necessity to be obedient to the Law ; for the Law cannot 
justify us." It is true, that our obedience is imperfect ; 
and, since it is imperfect, cannot save us. We must be 
justified by Christ alone through faith. But this doctrine 
of justification by faith does not diminish the necessity of 
obedience. Let us reflect on the nature of the Law ; it 
commands love to God and love to man ; and can any man 
doubt whether it be a duty to love God and his fellow- 
creatures ? He who violates the Law, even in the least 
point, and teaches others to despise it, is said by Christ 
to be *• the least in the kinordom of heaven ; but whosoever 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 33 

shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in 
the kingdom of heaven." Doubtless, the meaning of this 
expression is, that Christ will estimate the character of 
the members of His Church by the degree of their obe- 
dience. This is our Saviour's mode of judging. May it 
be ours also. He who fails the most in obedience to the 
law, is accounted by Christ the least of His disciples ; 
and he, who rises highest in obedience, shall also rise 
highest in the kingdom of God. 



XL 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 20. 



For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the 
righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter 
into the kingdom of heaven. 

The Scribes were the expounders of the Jewish law ; 
and the Pharisees were reputed the strictest sect among the 
Jews. Both the Scribes and Pharisees were held in high 
reputation by the people. This saying of Christ, there- 
fore, would exceedingly surprise His hearers. Must we 
then be stricter, they would say, than the strictest sect of 
the Jews 1 — more religious than our very teachers in reli- 
gion ? Our Saviour, nevertheless, ought not to be consid- 
ered severe, on account of this expression. The case was 
this : The Scribes and Pharisees were corrupt, both in 
doctrine and practice : they were " blind leaders of the 
blind." Nothing, therefore, could be more essential to the 
success of the Gospel than the exposure of their error and 
wickedness. How prejudicial, indeed, to the cause of true 
religion has the corruption of priests ever been ! The 
stream in that case is polluted at the fountain ; and if there 



34 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

should be a disposition in the people to admire a false and 
hypocritical priesthood, as was the case in the days of 
Christ, and again, at the period of the Reformation, the 
strongest measures may be necessary, in order to expose 
the existing danger, and to introduce the light of true religion. 

Let us now proceed to consider in what respects the 
righteousness of the followers of Christ was to exceed 
the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. 

And, first, it was to exceed, inasmuch as the righteousness 
of the followers of Christ was to be inward and real ; 
while that of the Scribes and Pharisees Avas merely in 
appearance. The sanctity of the Pharisee was an altogether 
external and affected sanctity. He loved to clothe himself 
in a long robe ; and to receive frequent greetings in the 
marketplace; and to be called. Rabbi. He made in the 
very streets long prayers ; gave alms in the most public 
manner ; and thus endeavoured to attract the veneration of 
the people. He did all to be seen of men. 

It may be material here to remark, that, in these days, 
vanity will not show itself in the same manner. Devotion 
is not in the same credit now, as in the days of the Phar- 
isees. Men are sometimes tempted in our age to lay claim 
to less religion than they really possess, rather than to 
pretend that they have more. The love of estimation led 
the Pharisee to say long prayers. Let us beware, lest our 
love of estimation should ever lead us to neglect saying our 
prayers, through the fear of some fellow-creature who may 
be present. We may be guilty of the same sin with the 
Pharisee ; and yet act in a different, and even a contrary, 
manner. 

The vanity of the Pharisee, was his sin. Beware, then, 
of vanity. Act not, as he did, from mere regard to char- 
acter. Be not honest, only from a regard to character. 
Be not sober, only from a regard to character. Be not 
chaste, only from a regard to character. If reputation be 
the spring of all your morality, then your morality is just 
as superficial, as was the religion of the Pharisees. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 35 

Again, the righteousness of Christians must exceed that 
of the Scribes and Pharisees, inasmuch as it must be uni- 
versal, and not partial. The Pharisees discharged some 
duties, and overlooked others. They performed the smaller, 
and omitted the greater. They paid tithes on mint, cummin, 
and anise ; but they neglected the vreighter matters of the 
law — judgment, mercy, and truth ; they strained at a gnat, 
and swallowed a camel. Let us beware of selecting certain 
parts of duty which are easy, and of slighting others ; and 
especially of being very scrupulous in small things, and 
yet far from conscientious in great. Let us endeavour to 
fulfil evei^y duty ; for " he, that keepeth the whole law, and 
yet offendeth in one point, is guilty of all ; for the same 
God who hath said, thou shalt not commit adultery, hath 
said also, thou shalt not steal :— Now therefore, if thou 
commit not adultery, yet if thou steal, thou art become a 
transgressor of the law." 

Lastly, our righteousness must exceed that of the Scribes 
and Pharisees, inasmuch as they carried no virtue to its 
proper height. They fell short of true goodness. It was 
the habit of the Scribe to lower the meaning of Scripture, 
to explain down the law of God, to devise exceptions to it, 
to make abatements from it. The Scripture had no force 
or strength, no strictness of meaning, no heart-searching 
quality, when interpreted by these teachers. Let us be 
fearful of all lax expositions of the word of God, — of all 
worldly ways of understanding it. The Scribes " took 
away the key of knowledge ;" and, the Scripture being 
perverted by the priests, neither true religion, nor true 
morality, prevailed among the people. The particular 
nature of those erroneous interpretations of Scripture, 
which the Pharisees introduced, is in some degree ex- 
plained by Christ in the passage which we shall have 
next to consider. 



36 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

XII 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 21—26. 

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill ; 

and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment : 
But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a 

cause shall be in danger of the judgment : and whosoever shall say 

to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council : but whosoever 

shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 
Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that 

thy brother hath aught against thee ; 
Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way : first be reconciled 

to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 
Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; 

lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the 

judge deliver thee to the oflScer, and thou be cast into prison. 
Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou 

hast paid the uttermost farthing. 

We have here an example of the manner in which our 
Saviour explained the precept of the law of Moses. 
" Thou shalt not kill," was one precept of it. The Scribes 
and Pharisees interpreted this, as forbidding only the direct 
act of murder : and thought it sufficient to bring the men 
who had committed this crime before one of their courts. 
Such was their interpretation of this law ; " Whosoever 
shall kill," said they, " shall be in danger of the judgment." 
Christ, however, considered, that the sin of murder pro- 
ceeded from anger in the heart ; and He, therefore, inter- 
prets the prohibition of murder, as a prohibition of anger 
also. He likewise explains this law, as forbidding every 
degree of hatred which is without a cause : in doing which 
He uses some expressions, of which the meaning was then 
probably familiar to the Jews, though now become a little 
obscure ; we mean the expressions of " Raca," and " Thou 
fool." He also intimates, that in whatever degree men 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 37 

indulge their anger against each other, in the same degree 
will God be angry with them : and he does this by alluding 
to the several Jewish courts of law, some of which took 
cognisance of the smaller offences, and others of the 
greater, each inflicting a proportionate punishment. The 
judgment was the lower court ; the council was the next ; 
and the word " hell-fire'^ stands for the highest punishment 
which could be inflicted by the highest court, — the punish- 
ment of being burnt alive. 

Our Saviour then proceeds to remark, that he who en- 
tertams in his mind any hatred against his brother, cannot 
be an acceptable worshipper of God : — a most important 
truth, and one which we ought to call to mind, as often as 
we engage in divine worship. If, therefore. He says, 
" thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest 
that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy 
gift before the altar, and go thy way ; first be reconciled to 
thy brother, and then come, and offer thy gift." He then 
advises those who have any quarrel, to agree with their 
adversary quickly ; and by adv^erting to the present con- 
sequences, which, in this world, attend the delay of the 
reconciliation, suggests the line of conduct, which it is our 
highest wisdom to pursue. 

Let us make some practical application of this part of 
the subject. The Pharisees offered up many a sacrifice to 
God, with hearts full of ill-will to their neighbours. Their 
religion was also on this account a religion which God 
abhorred : He will have a pure heart in his worshippers. 
He will accept no worship for Himself, while His worship- 
per is at enmity with his neighbour. The Church of 
England expects her members to examine whether they 
are in charity with all men, before they venture to receive 
the sacrament. Nothing can be more seasonable than such 
an expectation. This passage, however, may suggest the 
propriety of questioning ourselves, on the same point, not 
only then, but, also, as often as we offer up our worship ; 
since there is no part of it which is consistent with an 



38 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

angry state of the heart. He that would acceptably worship 
God must also love his neighbour. 

Are we then well assured that we indulge no malice or 
hatred ? Is none of this seed of murder in our hearts ? 
Let it not satisfy us to say that we would not kill. This 
was the scanty morality of the Pharisees. This was their 
narrow way of explaining the law. Christ hath taught 
us a larger interpretation of it. Are we followers of 
Christ, — and have we learnt from Him fully to examine 
ourselves on this point ? Do we perceive the sin, even of 
an angry word or of an angry motion within the heart ? Do 
we therefore watch the heart ? Do we keep the heart (as 
David expresses it) with all diligence, knowing that out of 
it are the issues of life ? Is our religion a religion of the 
heart, and not of the knee only, and of the lip ? In vain do 
we repair to the house of God ; in vain do we prostrate our 
bodies before Him ; in vain does our tongue make even the 
fullest profession of our guilt ; in vain is all our Christian 
confidence and hope ; if we maintain a quarrel against 
any : — if we do not in our hearts love every man his neigh- 
bour : — ''^for he that hateth his brother," says the Apostle, 
*4s a murderer; and ye know that no murderer hath 
eternal life abiding in him."* 

These observations seem particularly applicable to per- 
sons of a very narrow and sectarian spirit ; to those, I mean, 
whose religion, like that of the Jews, has rendered them 
severe, unsocial, and uncharitable. Men of this class are 
in great danger of carrying their religious hatred of some 
opposite sect, up to their very house of worship. It is true, 
that we should neither tolerate the heresies of any sect, 
nor the sins of any individual ; we should nevertheless 
anxiously inquire, whether our religious opposition to the 
errors of men may not degenerate into hatred of them, and 
thus corrupt our religious service. Let us breathe, espe- 
cially when we are in the house of prayer, a spirit of kindness 

♦ 1 St. John, iii. 15. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 39 

Tind reconciliation towards all. Let us remember, that 
** love is of God ;" and that he is the most likely to be both 
pure in his own worship, and right in his own creed, who 
most loves God and his fellow-creatures ; " for he, that 
saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in dark- 
ness, even until now :" and " by this shall all men know 
that ye are my disciples, if ye have love, one towards 
^another." 



XIIL 

ST. M.iTTHEW, V. 27, 28. 

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not com- 
mit adultery : 

But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her 
hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 

We have here another instance of the strict manner in 
which our Saviour explains the law of Moses. The 
seventh commandment had said " Thou shalt not commit 
adultery;" and the Jews, after the example of the Scribes 
and Pharisees, seem to have considered actual adultery 
alone as forbidden by it ; a crime which prudence, which 
reputation, which self-interest, which the most common 
regard to conscience might be sufficient to prevent ; and 
which was far from common, even among many heathen 
nations. Was this then the whole sin which the religion 
of Christ was to forbid ? Was it fit, or was it even to be 
tolerated, that the law of Moses should be so interpreted, 
that a man might fully obey that law, and yet be no better 
than many heathen ? Christ in this passage gives a most 
extensive meaning to this law ; and thus rescues it out of 
the corrupt hands of the Scribes and Pharisees : " But I 
say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust 



40 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

after her, hath committed aduhery with her already in his 
heart." How awful is this saying ! Is there not then an 
irregular thought, however deeply hidden in the heart, 
which can be indulged without the commission of this sin ? 
How great is that purity to which we thus find ourselves 
called ; and how are all men brought in guilty before God! 
" Blessed," our Saviour had already said, " are the pure in 
heart ; for they shall see God." The Son of God came 
from heaven that He might purify the sons of Levi ; and 
baptize men with the Holy Ghost and with fire ; that He 
might put his law in their inward parts, and write it on the 
table of their hearts : He came to abolish that scanty and 
superficial system of morality, which the Scribes and 
Pharisees had established ; and with which the people of 
all ages have been apt to satisfy themselves : He came to 
substitute, in the place of it, a religion which should govern 
the most secret thoughts, and should be seated in the heart ; 
a religion which, by discovering to man the exalted nature 
of true purity, should also reveal to him his own corruption ; 
should teach him, therefore, to come as a sinner to his God, 
and to trust in that Sacrifice which in due time was to be 
oflfered up for the sins of the world. 

The words of Christ in this passage may seem strict. 
Let us, however, ask ourselves, whether the most efifectual 
means of preventing the highest degrees of a sin, be not to 
check that sin in the first rising thought. Men commonly 
are betrayed into great crimes, nearly in the following man- 
ner. First, an evil thought occurs ; and they indulge it, 
saying ; " Surely, there can be no harm in allowing to my 
imagination so trifling a latitude as this." The sin is, at 
first, despised as too little to deserve regard. The evil 
thought having been allowed to enter, a second evil thought 
is added to the first. The mind is now possessed ; and the 
imagination becomes inflamed. And, now, the temptation, 
which had been despised for its insignificance, appears so 
powerful (as Satan in this stage of the trial would persuade 
us) that it is no longer possible to resist it ; and the same 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 41 

sin, which was at first tolerated through presumption, is at 
last submitted to in despair. 

How merciful then is our Saviour in thus inspiring us 
with that fear of the risings of sin, by which we are led to 
resist its first assault. May we then learn to watch the 
heart. May we resist sin there. And may we remember 
that not only the sin here spoken of, but that all sin takes 
its rise in the same manner ; and must be resisted in its 
first beginnings. May we direct our attention to the secret 
motions of our own minds. May God, by His Spirit, give 
us light to discern not only every licentious, but every en- 
vious, angry, vain, and self-exalting thought, every discon- 
tented and repining thought ; and give us grace to suppress 
them, before they break out into words or actions. May 
He cleanse all the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration 
of His Holy Spirit. 



XIV. 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 29, 30. 

And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee : for 

it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not 

that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 
And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee : for it 

is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not 

that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 

Our Saviour in this passage, as in many others, speaks 
metaphorically. The right eye and the right hand are 
some of our most valuable members. They are so dear to 
us that no man would be willing to part with them, unless 
it were for the sake of saving his life. If, indeed, the life 
can be saved by sacrificing one of these, and by no other 
means, then undoubtedly a man may be supposed willing to 



42 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

make the sacrifice. Such is our way of judging in temporal 
things ; and it is by appealing to our conduct in common 
life, that our Saviour often teaches us spiritual wisdom. 
" If," says He, '' thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, 
and cast it from thee ;" that is, if there be any thing, how- 
ever dear to thee, which causes thee to sin, part with it, 
and remove it far from thee ; for it is better to enter into 
life, having one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into 
hell fire. As it is wise in the case of the body to preserve the 
life at the expense of having only one eye : so it is wise, 
also, in the case of the soul, to sacrifice the dearest object 
rather than to retain it at the hazard of the life of the soul. 
So, also, if our right hand offend us, we are told to " cut it 
off, and cast it from us ; for it is better to enter into life 
having one hand ; than having two hands, to be cast into 
hell fire." Our Saviour, by repeating his expression, in- 
creases the strength of His remark : and by speaking of 
plucking out an eye, in the one case, and of cutting off a 
hand, in the other. He seems to intimate, that not one 
favourite object only, but ever^/ favourite object which proves 
an occasion of sin, must be sacrificed. In one of the other 
Evangelists, (St. Mark, ix. 44, 46, 48,) He is represented 
as awfully addressing Himself to our fears on this subject, 
by adding the words, " where the worm dieth not, and the 
fire is not quenched." He, who so loves his sin as to say 
that he cannot part with it, would do well to weigh these 
tremendous words of Christ. It may be hard to part with 
a favourite sin ; but it is still harder to dwell with everlast- 
ing burnings. It may be a painful task to remove ourselves 
out of the way of a temptation ; but it will be still more 
painful, after having been taken in the snare of the Devil, 
and led captive by him at his will, to share the condemna- 
tion of that Evil Spirit, and to be commanded to depart, 
accursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and 
his Angels. 

The fear of hell is often a salutary and most necessary 
fear. Many a man would never break from his sins with- 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 43 

out it. Our lusts and passions are often very importunate ; 
they seem as if they would not be refused indulgence. 
They are not always to be checked by fears of an inferior 
sort. The condemnation of the soul must be set before 
men, as the sure consequence of persisting in the indul- 
gence of a favourite passion ; for Christ himself hath said 
it. Even the compassionate Saviour hath said it. He, 
who was so merciful as to go about healing all manner of 
sick — He, who came down from heaven to save us, and to 
die for us, nevertheless cannot, will not, save us, (as is 
plain from this as well as from many other passages,) if we 
will hold fast our iniquity. We ought, therefore, to learn, 
from this metaphorical expression of Christ, the danger 
of living on in any wilful sin. 

But we may also learn from it, secondly, the peril of 
remaining in the way of temptation. Some persons, finding 
themselves repeatedly betrayed into great guilt, and being 
much wounded in their consciences, resolve to yield no 
more to the sin which has so often grieved them, and 
determine, also, to avoid in some degree those societies, 
those circumstances, and those places, which have proved 
the occasion of their falling. They resolve to avoid these 
in some degree, but not in a sufficient degree ; for, if the sin 
be fallen into again and again, it is then rendered plain by 
experience, that they ought to remove themselves still far- 
ther from temptation. But they will not advance a suffi- 
cient length in the case in question : that is, they will not 
proceed so far as to contradict some worldly companion 
who is their tempter ; or to sacrifice some worldly interest 
which is their snare ; or to abstain from some scene of 
dissipation, where their virtue is put to greater trial than it 
can bear. Such persons, though they have made, it is true, 
some feeble opposition to the tyrant sin which has pos- 
session of them, can by no means be said, according to the 
strong language of our Saviour, to have plucked out their 
right eye, or to have cut otF their right hand and cast it 
from them. They have as yet been on the plan of sparing 



44 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

themselves ; they have not had the heart to pay the price 
which is necessary for their deliverance ; and hence they 
continue enslaved. Let such persons gather instruction 
from these words of Christ. Let them remember that 
even the most innocent thing, if it prove a snare, must be 
plucked out, and cast from them, though it be done with as 
much pain as if they were plucking out the eye, or cutting 
off the hand, which is most dear to them. 

It is better surely to do this, it is better surely to affront 
our friend, to sacrifice our profit, or to absent ourselves from 
our accustomed place of entertainment, than having kept 
our friend, having increased our wealth, and having re- 
tained our amusement, to be cast into hell fire. It is better 
to be safe landed in Heaven, though at the expense of 
having in this world bereaved ourselves of some things 
which seemed as dear to us, as if they had been a part of 
ourselves. It is better to enter into life halt or maimed, 
than, having two eyes or two hands, to be cast into hell 
fire ; where, as already quoted from St. Mark, ''the worm 
dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." 



XV. 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 31, 32. 

It hath been said, whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a 
writing of divorcement : 

But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for 
the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery ; and whoso- 
ever shall marry her that is divorced -committeth adultery. 

Christ in this place, extends the law of Moses ; for that 
law had allowed divorces to take place in cases in which 
Christ no longer permits them. It however had never 
been intended, that divorces should become so light and 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 45 

easy as they were become among the Jews. Whilst, 
therefore, the Pharisees were loosening the obligations 
of the law, Christ was giving to it additional strictness. 
The case was this : The law of Moses was suited to the 
age in which it was given, and to the dispensation of reli- 
gion under which the Jews lived ; and not, in all particu- 
lars, equally accommodated to the new dispensation which 
was introduced by Christ. For Christianity, by affording 
a clear knowledge of God, and of all the doctrines of the 
Gospel, brought men under stricter obligations. Moses 
allowed some things to subsist for a while among the Jews ; 
and this among the rest ; on account of the hardness of 
their hearts, as is observed by Christ in the 19th ch. of 
this Gospel : *' but from the beginning," our Saviour there 
adds, " it was not so ;" and He now, therefore, as the new 
law-giver of the Jews, enjoins a stricter rule, both on them, 
and on all his followers. Christ goes farther than Moses, 
in several particulars. Christ sometimes speaks where 
Moses is silent. Christ, at other times, extends to the 
spirit, what Moses hcd chiefly spoken of in the letter. 
Christ carried every part of morality to a sublimer height. 
Two things may be observed in this passage. First, let 
us learn from it how strictly Christians ought to think of 
the bonds of marriage. Let us not lend an ear to that false 
philosophy which would utterly break these bonds, as well 
as all others : — which would allow men again to obtain 
divorces according to their humour ; a philosophy which 
would thus throw back the world into that state in which 
the Jewish people were left only for a while, and on ac- 
count of the hardness of their hearts ; and out of which 
Christ hath delivered us. The prohibition of Christ is 
like all his prohibitions, merciful. How hard is the situa- 
tion of the children of those who are divorced ! and on this 
ground how inexpedient is it to multiply divorces ! a child 
often needs the aid, almost equally, of its father and of its 
mother towards its education and support in life. How 
mischievous, also, to the parents is a system of unre- 



46 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

strained divorce ! If all men were to marry with the 
knowledge that they might, when they pleased, send away 
their wife, how light a ceremony would marriage become. 
And how dismal, in particular, would be the case of the 
female sex. Among other reasons for valuing Christianity, 
let us value it on account of this law against arbitrary 
divorce. 

Our other remark is general. Let us learn, from this 
passage, to consider Christ as calling us, in every respect, 
to gTeater purity of morals than was attained in the ancient 
periods of the world. The Gentiles were left chiefly to 
the light of their own conscience. They had no written 
law of God. The times, therefore, of their ignorance God 
is said in Scripture to have winked at; though now He 
hath *' commanded all men every where to repent,''* and to 
" believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ."t 

The Jews had a dispensation of religion which was dark 
compared with ours. They, had, indeed, more instruction, 
than we, in many ceremonials of worship: and, since the 
Lord was their king, and their nation a theocracy ; they 
had a code of laws relating to civil government. In all 
that regards the substance of religion, the Jewish dispen- 
sation was certainly inferior. To them the doctrines of 
our Gospel were less clearly taught ; and the rule of morals 
was less strictly and spiritually laid down. 

Let us, then, remember, that we. Christians, are called 
both to higher spirituality in our devotion, and to a stricter 
morality. Let us reflect, that as, in a heathen, many things 
were winked at by God, which would not have been equally 
winked at in a Jew ; so also were many things tolerated 
in a Jew, which will not now be allowed in a Christian. 
Among the Jews, polygamy was practised ; and though 
not expressly allowed, it seems not to have been directly 
condemned. The minds of men were in those ages more 
dark, in many respects, than the light, in which we live, 
allows us to conceive. We have had line upon line, and 
♦ Acts xvii. 30. f l St. John iii. 23. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 47 

precept upon precept. In our days how fully has every 
branch of moral duty been defined ! how clearly are many 
points important to our happiness in relative and social, as 
well as in political life, which were scarcely adverted to 
in the remote ages, now laid down, and understood ! How 
do we stand indebted to Christ, the great sun of righteous- 
ness, for introducing that moral light which has so greatly 
illuminated these latter ages of the world. 

May we walk worthy of it. May we be as exact in our 
practice, as we are instructed in the details of morality, as 
well as in the articles of our faith. May we remember that 
the darkness is past ; and that we are children of the light 
and of the day. May we not walk in darkness. • May every 
mark of that inferior state of morals, which characterized 
the ancient times, be done away. And in particular, may 
the laws of marriage be upheld by our government, and 
respected by our people. 



XVL 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 33—37. 

Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by thena of old time, thou 

shalt not forswear thyself^ but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths : 
But I say unto you, swear not at all ; neither by heaven ; for it is God*s 

throne : 
Nor by the earth ; for it is his footstool : neither by Jerusalem ; for it is 

the city of the Great King. 
Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one 

hair white or black. 
But let your communication be, yea, yea; nay, nay: for whatsoever is 

more than these cometh of evil. 

Our Saviour here prohibits common and profane swear- 
ing. Is it then possible, that this vice can have place 
among those who call themselves Christians ? He ex- 
plains himself clearly by naming several kinds of profane- 



48 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

ness which were in use in His days ; and He forbids both 
these and all similar asseverations, adding, " Let your 
communication be yea, yea, and nay, nay f' that is, let 
your conversation consist, as much as possible, in plain 
yes and no, in simple affirmation and denial, " for what- 
soever is more than this cometh of evil." 

It is melancholy to reflect how little this precept of 
Christ is regarded ; and it may be useful to inquire, how- 
it happens, that a sin so distinctly forbidden, and producing 
so little profit, is so common in a Christian land. 

Profane swearing has prevailed in various countries and 
ages. The heathen abounded much in oaths ; as the books 
now extant, which describe their familiar conversation, 
most clearly show ; and we need not wonder, that the 
names of the gods and demi-gods, whom they worshipped, 
should have been used as expletives in ordinary discourse. 
Divinities like these were not likely to excite the smallest 
degree of reverence in the mind. The Jews, who lived at 
the time of Christ, appear to have fallen into the same 
habit of swearing. As the heathens swore by their temples 
and altars, so the Jews seem to have sworn by the temple 
at Jerusalem, and by other things sacred in their worship. 
The Pharisees had tolerated, and in some degree regulated, 
this profane habit. They forbad some oaths, and capri- 
ciously allowed of others, as appears from the twenty-fiflh 
chapter of St. Matthew. They seemed to have pleaded 
Scripture in favour of this permission ; as if the precept 
which commanded men to perform unto the Lord their 
vows, authorized common swearing, and a general dispo- 
sition to trifle with serious things. 

Our Saviour corrects this error of the Pharisees ; and, 
in correcting it, He promulgates a new law on the subject. 
He lays down his rule so strictly, that some sects in our 
country (not sufl[iciently attending, as we think, to the style 
of spiritual language, and to the spirit of this precept) have 
supposed that an oath taken in a judicial cause is prohibited 
among Christians. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 49 

The ground on which Christ rests his present pro- 
hibition, is the point to which I would call your attention. 
Wc are not to swear, He says, " by Heaven, because it is 
God's throne ; nor by the earth, because it is His footstool.''^ 
He thus points out to us, that reverence for God ought to 
prevent profane swearing, — reverence, I mean, for that 
God who made heaven and earth ; and who ought not to 
be confounded with the gods of the heathen ; and who 
should be had in honour by all those who profess to call 
upon Him. 

Here then we discover the root of that profaneness which 
is now so common among Christians. God is not honoured 
by us. Though He is the Creator of all things ; though 
He is the preserver of our lives ; though He is the source 
of all our hopes both in this world, and the world to come ; 
though He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ; 
though He has abounded towards us in all goodness and 
mercy ; yet we feel little reverence for Him. We trifle, 
we sport with His sacred name, as the heathen did with 
the names of their Jupiter, their Hercules, and their Apollo. 
He is to us what their gods and demi-gods were to them. 
We profess, indeed, like the Jews, to worship the true 
Jehovah ; but, like the Jews, we show, by the levity with 
which we treat sacred things, that we are a nation of 
degenerate and nominal worshippers. Our profaneness, 
indeed, is more criminal than theirs ; because we have 
clearer light than they had ; we have also a most plain 
and strict injunction given us in this passage against the 
very sin in question. 

Let us then fear to provoke God by the breach of this 
commandment. Let us reverence His name ; and, for His 
sake, respect every thing which is holy. Let us even 
reprove, as far as becomes us, all profaneness in others. 
Let plainness and simplicity characterize our conversation. 
Let us avoid every kind of needless asseveration. Let us 
cultivate calmness of temper and seriousness of mind ; thus 
shall we be kept from every breach of this commandment. 
E 



50 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

XVIL 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 38—42. 

Ye have heard, that it hath been said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for 

a tooth : 
But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil : but whosoever shall smite 

thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 
And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him 

have thy cloak also. 
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 
Give to him that asketh thee ; and from him that would borrow of thee 

turn not thou away. 

Our Saviour, in this passage, proceeds to explain in 
what manner the righteousness of his followers was to ex- 
ceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees. '' Ye have heard," 
says He, " that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, and a 
tooth for a tooth." This law of exact retaliation had been 
given to the Jews by God, in His character of their law- 
giver and king. It was the law, according to which the 
Jewish judge was to deliver sentence against offenders ; it 
was not a rule intended to authorize revenge among private 
individuals ; though it probably was so construed by the 
Scribes and Pharisees. They seem to have interpreted 
that part of their civil law, — w^hich, by saying an eye for 
an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, prescribed a principle of 
exact justice to the magistrate — as sanctioning the senti- 
ment, that justice is all which is required of men in their 
individual capacity; and as justifying every one in exacting 
in all cases the utmost extent of his due. 

Christ forbids this construction of the Mosaic law ; 
and He subjoins some precepts of a contrary nature, which 
are extremely characteristic of His religion. " But I say 
unto you," says He, " that ye resist not evil ; but who- 
soever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 51 

Other also." Certainly, expressions of this kind are not to 
be taken literally : but let us beware of an altogether loose 
interpretation. Let us not in this respect imitate the Phari- 
sees, They interpreted the Old Testament in such a man- 
ner as to favour their own corrupt prejudices : let us not 
bend the New to our crooked and imperfect practice. 

The meaning of all those strong expressions of our 
Saviour, which we are now considering, may be thus 
explained. It is, as if He had said, " Think not because 
the law hath declared, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a 
tooth, that it will justify that spirit of private resentment 
and retaliation which it is made to do. Such indeed is the 
perverse turn given to it by your Scribes and Pharisees. 
But I am come to prescribe to you a far higher rule of duty. 
I teach that a man not only must not resent injuries, and 
demand reparation to the utmost, but must learn patiently 
/to endure injuries, and to forbear from any revenge what- 
ever. ^' I SAY UNTO YOU THAT YE RESIST NOT EVIL." 

There must be such a spirit in my followers, that however 
great may be the ill-treatment which they receive, they 
must be willing quietly to suffer it ; as much so as if, when 
a man were to smite thee on the right cheek, thou wert to 
turn to him the other also. Revenge is utterly excluded out 
of my code. The law of My Kingdom is that of the free 
forgiveness of each other. 

Neither must ye be tenacious in any respect of that 
which is your own. Ye must be of so free and liberal, of 
so gentle and peaceable, of so kind and disinterested a 
spirit as to be ready to yield your clearest right, if any good 
be to be done, as it often is, by renouncing it. " If any 
man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat," care 
not for it, — be not eager to defend thyself ; " let him have 
thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go 
with him a mile," (instead of becoming resentful and ill- 
humoured, as men thus unreasonably treated commonly 
do,) thou, that art my disciple, be willing freely to " go 
with him twain." And again, " Give to him that asketh of 



52 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

thee." Aim not merely at acts of justice, but do acts of 
mercy also. Be willing to give, and ready to communicate. 
Say not that either thy money or any other worldly pos- 
session is thine own ; but let the spirit of a large and 
liberal benevolence, and the feelings of a warm and ex- 
pansive love dictate whose it shall be. Give, therefore, or 
lend, as a prudent charity may suggest ; and *' not giudg- 
ingly, for God loveth a cheerful giver." " Give to him 
that asketh of thee, and from him that would barrow of 
thee, turn not thou away." 

Such is incontestibly the meaning of these sayings of 
Christ. Are we then of this spirit? Have we learned 
in the school of His gospel to bear affronts quietly and 
meekly ; to forgive all men heartily and freely ; to take 
cheerfully less than our due ; to condescend to serve even 
the unthankful and the unreasonable ; to give and lend, 
bountifully and largely : and, moreover, do we deny our- 
selves, that we may have to give to him that needeth ? 

These are the duties enjoined upon us as Christians. 
This is the nature of the morality of the g-ospel. There is 
a scantiness in the virtue of worldly persons ; they may be 
tolerably honest and just ; they may not demand more than 
their due ; but they are also strict in claiming their own. 
They may wish to hurt no one ; but they also insist, that 
no one shall hurt them. They may give to those from 
whom they hope to receive something again ; as well as to 
those whom they particularly love : but they cannot endure 
to do good to the forward, or intruding ; or to the unthankful, 
or unreasonable. They would not do mischief to any one ; 
but they have not learnt to exercise that determined spirit 
of kindness and condescension, which is absolutely neces- 
sary in such a world as this, if ever we would hope to 
achieve any great good. The virtue which is here recom- 
mended to them by Christ is too high and heroical for 
their minds. 

It is important to remark, that the doctrines of the gospel 
dispose exactly to the same spirit which is inculcated by 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 63 

these sayings of our Saviour. Christ may be considered 
as foretelling by means of the various precepts dehveredin 
His sermon on the mount, what should be the character of 
His followers ; when they should be more fully instructed 
in the truths of His Gospel, and more plentifully endued 
with the gift of His Holy Spirit. Selfishness is obviously 
the root of those evil tempers which He has here con- 
demned : and how is selfishness more effectually to be 
cured than by the contemplation of that great evangelical 
truth, " ye are not your own ; ye are bought with a price ?"* 
'* live therefore no longer to yourselves, but unto Him that 
hath died for you," 



XVIII. 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 43—48. 

Ye have heard that it hath been said, thou shalt love thy neighbour, and 

hate thine enemy. 
But I say unto you, love your enemies ; bless them that curse you ; do 

good to them that hate you ; and pray for them that despitefully use 

you and persecute you ; 
That ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven, for he 

maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain 

on the just, and on the unjust. 
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye 1 do not even 

the publicans the same 1 
And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others ? do 

not even the publicans so 1 
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your father which is in heaven is perfect. 

Here our Saviour again insists on the necessity of a 
more than ordinary virtue in His followers ; and again 
reproves the scanty as well as false morality of the Scribes 
and Pharisees. " Ye have heard," saith He, **how it hath 

* 1 Cor. vi. 20. 



54 FAMILY COMMENTAKY ON 

heen said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine 
enemy." This saying was doubtless common at that time 
among the Jews. The people assumed, (for how easily do 
we adopt the errors of our teachers,) that the Old Testament 
had taught this doctrine. But the Old Testament had said 
only, " Thou shah love thy neighbour ;" the Pharisees had 
added, as their inference from these words, " and thou shalt 
hate thine enemy." Declarations of Scripture had become 
united in many minds with sayings of the Pharisees ; in 
the same manner in which certain truths of God, and sayings 
of men, are now frequently confounded by credulous and 
imthinking persons. *' But I say unto you," says Christ, 
''love your enemies." This precept was not altogether 
new. The Old Testament breathed the same spirit, though 
the New speaks more plainly on this and other points, 
both of faith and of practice. The word " neighbour," in 
the Old Testament, when rightly interpreted, has a very 
large signification. Literally taken, it stands for any one 
who lives near to us. It is however very naturally applied 
to all with whom we have any intercourse. It here signifies 
any one who comes within the sphere of our notice, and 
within the reach of our benevolence. The command to 
love our neighbour implies therefore that we are to love all 
men, not excepting our very enemies ; and it is worthy of 
observation that our Saviour has supplied us with this 
explanation of the term, by means of the parable of the 
good Samaritan ; a parable which He employed for the 
reproof of one v/ho had asked the question, " Who is my 
neighbour!" and who was not aware that even a Samaritan, 
though of an abhorred sect, might be the neighbour to a 
Jew. We are then to love, not our Iriends only, but stran- 
gers ; and not strangers only, but our very enemies. " Bless 
them," says He, "that curse you: do good to them that 
hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and 
persecute you." How high does Christian morality rise in 
respect to the point before us ! This precept is one which 
may be considered as peculiarly Christian. It is not like 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 55 

human morality; it is eminently divine. The language of 
the natural man is that of the Scribes and Pharisees : " I 
will love my neighbour, and hate my enemy." He is 
willing to do the one, if he may be allowed also to do the 
other. The publicans indeed, as Christ here says, loved 
their friends; and yet they were accounted the vilest of 
the people. There can be little praise, therefore, in such 
virtue as this. It is a virtue to which many of the most 
corrupt men are equal. " Love" then, says Christ, " your 
enemies ; that ye may be the children of your Father 
which is in heaven ; for He maketh his sun to rise on the 
evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on 
the unjust." 

The goodness, which Christ teaches, is not that of the 
natural heart of man ; but it is like the goodness of God, 
perfect and universal. God is good to all ; and we shonld 
imitate His perfections. We should be " perfect, even as 
our Father which is in heaven is perfect." We should at 
least aim at perfection like His ; and should not content 
ourselves with that lame and partial virtue with which men 
are satisfied. 

Let us, then, often ask ourselves, whether we fulfil this 
precept of Christ. Do we love our enemies? Do we 
love those who have injured us, and those whom we think 
likely to injure us ? Do we love men of another nation, 
of another party, of another religion, of another sect, of 
another way of thinking in some most interesting particu- 
lar ? If our nation be at war, do we love even those with 
whom we may think it our duty to contend in battle ? 
Neither public nor private enemy ought to be excepted from 
this universal law of love. 

And how happy would the world become, if a strict 
obedience were paid to this precept of Christ. Men 
withhold their kindness from their neighbour, because that 
neighbour has not yet been kind to them : each waits for 
some act of condescension in the other party. But let us, 
if we are Christians, take the lead in showing kindness to 



56 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

every supposed as well as real adversary. " If our enemy 
hunger, let us feed him ; if he thirst, let us give him drink ;" 
for in so doing, we shall quickly subdue his enmity against 
us ; and, as the Apostle expresses it, " shall heap coals of 
lire on his head."* 



XIX. 

ST. MATTHEW, YI. 1—4. 

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them : 
otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 

Therefore, when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a tnimpet before 
thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that 
they may have glory of men. A^erily I say unto you, they have their 
reward. 

But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand 
doeth : 

That thine alms may be in secret : and thy Father which seeth in secret 
himself shall reward thee openly. 

The Pharisees did all to be seen of men. They gave 
alms, they prayed, they performed all their good deeds on 
this corrupt principle. *' Verily," therefore says our Sav- 
iour, " they have their reward ;" that is, they haA^e their 
reward note ; they shall have no reward hereafter. God 
looks not so much at the act done, as at the motive for 
doing it. Though the deed be good, yet if vanity, if mere 
regard to character, or any other false principle, prompt us 
to it, we shall go unrewarded by God. What could be 
more right than for the Pharisee to give alms ? yet the 
Pharisee, as we are here assured, v/ould hav^e no reward 
from his Father which is in heaven. 
* Romans xii, 20. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 57 

The Pharisees, indeed, carried their vanity very far. 
"• When thou doest alms," says our Saviour, " do not 
sound a trumpet before thee as the hypocrites," (or Phari- 
sees) '' do :" that is, do not proclaim, as it were by sound 
of trumpet, thine own almsgiving, or other good deeds. 
Do not publish thine own praises. The vanity of the 
Pharisees was gross; but all vanity is forbidden. The 
good breeding of modern times usually restrains even those 
who are vain at heart, from extolling themselves ; and yet 
it leaves to them a thousand indirect means of self-exalta- 
tion. Indeed, vanity itself sometimes renders men profi- 
cients in the art of seeming to lay aside their vanity ; for it 
is a polite and creditable art : and therefore, although the 
well-bred person of modern days may seem far removed 
from the sin of the Pharisees, although he may not sound 
a trumpet before him as they did, yet he may be as vain as 
a Pharisee in his heart. But let us each examine our- 
selves strictly on this general subject. Are we prompted 
to perform those good things which we do, chiefly by the 
desire of appearing well before men ? Do we love, not so 
much to do right, as to be thought to do right ? Ask your- 
selves this question : " Supposing all my acquaintance to 
recommend something which I know to be wrong, should I 
dare to act against their judgment ? And supposing them 
all to frown upon me for doing right, should I proceed to 
do it ?" If your conscience cannot give a reply, which is 
in any degree satisfactory, then you, like the Pharisee, are 
under the dominion of the love of praise. Men in general 
are enslaved by this principle. Witness the endeavours 
which they use to conform their conduct to public opinion ; 
witness their own acknowledgment that their leading 
motive is a regard to character ; witness their attention to 
external acts of virtue, and their inattention to secret and 
self-denying duties ; witness their dread of being thought 
singular. There is, indeed, an extreme of vice into which 
they rarely fall. But is not Christian virtue practised al- 
most as rarely ? Is not true holiness almost as much 



58 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

avoided as gross sin ? And for the same reason ; both 
are discreditable. It is discreditable to be very profligate, 
to lie, or to steal. It is also discreditable in this age to be 
accounted stricter than others in religion ; and therefore, 
men choose to be neither in one extreme, as they call it, 
nor in the other ; that is, neither to practise Christian 
virtue, nor to yield themselves up to notorious vice. Re- 
gard to character is the motive to all that middling kind of 
virtue which most abounds : and since regard to character 
is the motive, since all is done in order to be seen of men, 
they shall have no reward from their Father which is in 
heaven. These persons are not in favour with God ; these 
are not the true Christians. We must look to persons who 
are aiming at a higher virtue, at a virtue to which love 
of reputation will not carry them, in order to find even 
the existence of true Christian grace. Alas ! how many 
decent and respectable persons would find themselves 
unchristianized if they would attend to this one considera- 
tion. 

But let our attention be turned chiefly to ourselves. And 
does our imagination never present to us the idea of some 
admiring friend or group of friends, whose expected praise 
is the incentive to the diligence which we are using, to the 
self-denial which we are practising, and to the honourable 
deeds which we are performing ? Is our mind apt to 
ruminate on the complimentary things likely to be said to 
us, by this or the other man ? Is it a very mortifying 
thing to us. to be disappointed of some expected praise, 
and a bitter thing to be blamed ? Does our heart sink at 
the thought of having to face unpopularity and reproach ? — 
On what principle do we choose our friends and acquaint- 
ance ? Do we cultivate familiarity chiefly with those who 
gratify our vanity, with those who flatter our persons, 
admire our wit, judge highly of our talents, respect our 
judgment, and approve our sayings ? and on the contrary, 
do we dislike those, however amiable and excellent, who 
perceive our faults, who are too conscientious to flatter us 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 59 

as others do ; or whose manifest superiority is a disadvan- 
tage to us ? 

Some there are even in this age who exhibit the coarsest 
vanity ; who speak continually of themselves ; who recount 
the things which they have done ; and announce what 
they intend to do. These may almost literally be said to 
sound a trumpet before them as the Pharisees did. They 
certainly do not take care not to let their left hand know 
what their right hand doeth. But let us rather inquire 
whether we are not circuitously and indirectly seeking our 
own praise. Some endeavour to reflect honour on them- 
selves by speaking highly of personages with whom they 
are intimate. Some, in short, seek a reputation for humil- 
ity by the modest things which they say ; some, the praise 
of candour, by the liberal things which they say ; some, a 
name for kindness, by the soft things which they say ; 
some, a character for judgment, by the prudent things 
which they say. The love of praise, it is to be feared, is 
the mainspring of common conversation ; and they, who 
have never examined their hearts, are little aware how 
strong is this principle within them. It dictates to many 
men almost every thing which they either speak, or think, 
or do. The Pharisees therefore were not singular. 
They sought praise in one manner ; we, in another : they 
by alms and ostentatious prayers ; we, perhaps by our 
whole conversation and conduct. Let us be fearful of 
this principle ; which is often the greatest foe to true 
virtue, though it is the chief prop of that virtue which is 
false 



60 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

XX. 

ST. MATTHEW, YI. 5—8. 

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are : for they 

love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the 

streets, that they may be seen of men. Yerily I say unto you, they 

have their reward. 
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast 

shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret ; and thy Father 

which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do : for they 

think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 
Be not ye therefore like unto them : for your Father knoweth what things 

ye have need of, before ye ask him. 

Religion in one view of it, is a secret thing. It con- 
sists in a secret converse between the invisible God and 
the soul. Our Saviour taught that it consisted not in the 
parading prayer of the Pharisees, in the magnificence of 
the worship of the temple, or in the vain repetitions of the 
heathen. Our pious reformers, in like manner, affirmed 
that it consisted not in the solemnities of the mass ; in the 
grandeur of churches ; or in the vain repetition of the Latin 
prayers of the papists. Again, religion at this day, consists 
not in the mere forms, however decent, of our established 
worship ; in the regularity of our attendance at church,; in 
the careful articulation of our responses ; nor in any out- 
ward forms of religion. And I will add, that Christianity 
consists not in the mere extemporaneousness of prayer, nor 
in modes of worship peculiar to any dissenting congre- 
gation. Religion consists not in being frequent at public 
worship, and seldom engaged in secret prayer at home. 
Christ warns us against such suppositions as this. " But 
thou," says He, " when thou prayest, enter into thy closet; 
and when thou hast shut thy door, pray unto thy Father 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 61 

which is in secret ; and thy Father which seeth in secret, 
shall reward thee openly." 

The religion of many persons is merely outward. They 
do almost every thing, even in religion, to be seen of men. 
They suit their religious conduct to the religious taste of 
the present time, just as the Pharfsees accommodated their 
conduct to the more devout taste of the people of their day. 
Secret prayer is the great test of a Christian. There is 
something in public prayer, as well as in social prayer, 
which may serve to amuse the mind, to gratify the ear, and 
to draw the attendance even of an irreligious person ; but 
in secret prayer, when no eye is upon us, but that of God, 
we have a far better proof of the internal piety of the heart. 
" Verily," says our Saviour, in reference to the Pharisees, 
they have their reward." As the Pharisee had his reward 
for the ostentatious prayers which he put up, — in the 
estimation which he obtained ; so now, the decent attender 
on the public worship of God has some temporal recom- 
pense for his attendance. He is rewarded, if he be a 
servant, for the regularity of his church-going, by his ma- 
ster's approbation of this act of obedience. He is rewarded, 
if a master, by the respect and good opinion of his graver 
acquaintance ; he is rewarded, if a father, by the more 
decent and dutiful behaviour of the children who accom- 
pany him to the place of his customary worship. Perhaps, 
he is also paid by the self-complacency which he feels in 
having performed, as he conceives, his religious duty ; he 
is paid by the thought, that, because he has rendered to 
God the homage of his public prayers, he shall be received 
into heaven. " Verily," however, says our Saviour, "they 
have their reward." Such persons have their reward in 
this world ; they shall not have it in the world to come. 
They have their whole recompense now ; there remains no 
further blessing for them from God in a future life. They 
were decent at public worship ; and they have had the 
temporal advantages of this their decency. They meant 
to set an example to children and servants ; and those 

F 



63 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

children and servants may have derived some benefit from 
the example. Their own souls they did not regard, as is 
evident from their neglect of secret prayer at home ; and 
their own souls, therefore, shall receive no benefit on that 
day which shall determine the eternal state of the soul. 

But it is time to turn fr«m such characters to the serious 
Christian. He fulfils that precept of our Saviour which 
we are considering. He " enters into his closet and shuts 
his door :" that is, he takes the best opportunity of being 
private, which is afforded to him ; though he will rather 
pray in a low voice, in the presence of others, than not 
pray at all. He prays " unto his Father which is in secret;" 
that is, he pours out his heart in prayer, and he prays for 
every blessing which he needs : for pardon of sin, for 
strength against temptation, for deliverance from his cor- 
ruptions, for victory over the world, for direction in diffi- 
culties, for consolation under affiictions, for submission un- 
der pains and losses ; for the increase, in short, of faith, 
of hope, and of charity ; and for all the graces of God's Holy 
Spirit. And leading this life of fervent and secret prayer, 
that " God who seeth him in secret rewards him openly." 
He is rewarded by his obtaining evidently the very things 
which he asks. By the means of secret prayer put up in 
his closet, strength, to fulfil openly in the sight of men all 
the various duties of life, is imparted to him. He is raised 
above the power of those temptations by which the merely 
formal worshippers are overcome. You see this man con- 
quer his passions, and sustain his trials, and suffer little 
(compared with the worldly man) under afflictions. You 
behold him upright and faithful to his God in all companies ; 
daring to be religious in the midst of the profane world ; 
and reproving that vice which the formal worshipper is too 
timid to contradict or to resist. He, who prays earnestly to 
God in secret, will generally be a decided character in 
public ; aud surely there is more comfort, as well as more 
respectability, in being thus consistent, than in being a 
saint with saints, and a worldly man with the worldly. In 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 63 

this sense, then, we may probably interpret and apply the 
passage. That peculiar strength of character, which the 
world admires in some religious persons, may be referred 
to the efficacy of those secret prayers, of which the world 
takes no cognizance. They bow their knees before the God 
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ; and " He strengthens 
them with might by His Spirit in the inner man." Day by 
day they implore His grace ; and, day by day, in answer 
to their prayers, He pours down upon them a portion of 
His own Spirit : and thus they are made strong to fulfil 
every task which is required of them ; and to endure what- 
ever trials may befal them : they are made happy in them- 
selves, and often honourable in the sight of men ; and thus 
they are rewarded openly. 



XXL 

ST. MATTHEW, VI. 9. 

After this manner therefore pray ye : Our Father which art in heaven. 

The Lord's prayer is often in the mouths of many by 
whom it is ill understood. We shall endeavour to afford 
a clear and just interpretation of it. We must, however, 
premise, that it was given by our Saviour to His disciples, 
for the purpose, not only of explaining the general object 
and nature of prayer ; but, also, of pointing out the manner 
in which they were to pray, in order to avoid those " vain" 
or useless " repetitions," and that " much speaking," which 
He had been blaming in the heathen. 

The Lord's prayer iSj therefore, extremely short ; much 
shorter than we know some prayers to have been, which 
were put up by our Saviour himself. We doubtless ought 
to imitate the general matter of this prayer, rather than the 
length of it. 



64 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

" Our Father which art in Heaven :" we are thus 
taught to begin, by addressing God as "our Father." We 
all have earthly parents, to w^hom we are accustomed to 
look up. We know, that we have been depending on them ; 
that we have received from them many good things ; and 
that we owe them, in return, our reverence, affection, and 
submission. By means, therefore, of this relation to our 
earthly parents, an intimation is given us of the nature of 
our relation to God : which is a very easy and simple 
mode of being instructed in it, and the best, undoubtedly, 
of which we are capable. Have we fathers after the flesh ? 
God also is our Father. To Him we owe all, and indeed 
more than all, that as children we ever owed to our natural 
parents. But God, also, is our Father which is in Heaven ; 
our parents dwell with us on earth: — they are seen among 
us from day to day ; — God is that parent who can be seen 
only by the eye of faith so long as we live in this world ; 
for His dwelling place is in heaven. The first sentence 
in the Lord's prayer implies, therefore, a profession of our 
faith in Him who is invisible ; as well as an acknowledg- 
ment of our being related to Him, as a child is to its parent. 
Let us not attempt too much refinement in explaining the 
Lord's prayer. 

Nothing can be more simple, nothing more easy to un- 
derstand, than this opening of it is. There is, however, a 
more peculiar sense in which some men are called in 
Scripture the children of God. Believers are said to be 
adopted into His family. We are all, says the Apostle, 
" the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus"'* — " and 
if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with 
Christ."! May we be enabled to put up this prayer in the 
spirit of adoption ; and thus to add a further meaning to the 
more obvious one — may we do this, through the help of that 
Spirit, which, as the Scripture expresses it, enables us to 
say " Abba, Father." 

* Gal. iii. 26. t Rom. viii. 17. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 65 

XXIL 

ST. MATTHEW, VI. 9. 

Hallowed be thy Name. 

The 7iame of God, means commonly in Scripture the 
same as God Himself: and ^' hallo ived^^ means had in rev- 
erence, or honour. The expression " hallowed be thy 
name" is, therefore, one by which we imply, that we con- 
sider all honour as due to God, and wish it to be rendered 
to Him. This disposition of the heart to ascribe praise 
and honour to God is a very sublime and excellent part 
of religion. It is that branch of prayer which is commonly 
called adoration. In thus adoring God, we, as it were, 
forget ourselves. We adore Him for what He is, essen- 
tially in Himself, and generally to all His creatures, rather 
than for what He is particularly to us. By addressing Him 
in this manner, our ideas of Him become exalted in the 
beginning of our prayer : and we, then, descend to our 
more particular petitions, with the greater reverence for 
Him, to whom we offer our supplications. We have an 
example of the spirit of adoration in that sublime language 
of the Psalmist, in which he calls upon all created things 
to unite with him in praising God. " Praise Him, all ye 
angels of his; praise Him, all his host; praise Him, sun 
and moon ; praise Him, all ye stars of light ; praise Him, 
all ye heavens, and ye waters that are above the heavens :"* 
" Oh, praise God in his holiness, praise Him in the firma- 
ment of his power. Let every thing that hath breath, praise 
the LoRD."t 

* Ps. cxlviii. 3—4. t Ps. cl. 1, 2, 6. 



66 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

XXIII. 

ST. MATTHEW, VI. 10. 

Thy Kingdom come. 

The establishment of the religion of Christ in the 
world is represented in Scripture under the figure of the 
erection of a kingdom. The kings of the earth have their 
separate territories, over which they reign, and their sev- 
eral interests, which they endeavour to extend ; and he is 
deemed the greatest and most successful monarch who is 
best able to maintain and enlarge his empire. God also 
has a kingdom in this world. It interferes not, however, 
with those of earthly princes ; for it is a spiritual kingdom, 
consisting partly indeed of a visible church, but chiefly in 
an empire over the hearts of men. This Kingdom of God 
extends itself over many kingdoms of the world ; for the 
subjects of the Messiah are of every nation, and tongue, 
and people, and language. For the more complete estab- 
lishment of this Kingdom we are taught by Christ to pray, 
before we proceed to present our private petitions. The 
Lord's prayer therefore supposes the success of the gospel 
is to be near our hearts. Let us who so often use these 
words, ask ourselves whether it be our ardent wish to see 
the gospel every where flourish ? We long for the aggran- 
disement of our native country. We wish our rivals to be 
laid low, and our own land to become great and victorious. 
But do we bear in mind the far more important interests 
of the kingdom of Christ ? 

May the Lord take to Himself his great power and 
reign ! may all kings fall down before Him, and all nations 
do Him service ! may He go on, conquering, and to con- 
quer, until all His enemies shall be laid under His feet ! 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 67 

XXIV. 

ST. MATTHEW VI. 10. 

Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. 

We know that God's will is perfectly fulfilled in heav- 
en. The Angels stand ready to perform His pleasure : the 
Saints are made perfect in holiness : and, because the 
Divine will is thus accomplished, heaven is a place of 
perfect happiness. It is the wish and prayer of the 
Christian, that earth may in this respect resemble heaven : 
that men may cease from preferring their own pleasure to 
that of their Creator : and that, as angels are all minis- 
tering spirits, ready to fulfil whatever embassy the great 
Lord of all may assign to them ; so men also may learn to do 
the will of God, by performing all those works of righte- 
ousness, which He hath commanded and appointed. The 
men of this world earnestly wish for their own happiness ; 
and occasionally feel a desire to promote the general good : 
but they do not consider, that, So long as the will of God 
is not fulfilled, much happiness is not to be expected. 
From whence come almost all the pains and miseries 
which are experienced in our passage through life ? come 
they not from the indisposition of man to do the will of 
God ? May the time soon arrive when the earth shall 
resemble heaven in holiness : then will it also resemble 
heaven in happiness. Hasten the time, O Lord, when 
Thy kingdom shall come, and Thy will be done in earth 
as it is in heaven. 



68 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

XXV. 

ST. MATTHEW VI. II. 

Give us this day our daily bread. 

Man is a creature so constituted, that daily food (or 
bread) is necessary for his continuance in life. This is 
the great law of his earthly condition. We are therefore 
taught in this prayer to pray daily to God for the supply of 
this our great and continually returning necessity. We 
are instructed to implore of our heavenly Father, that He 
will sustain these our perishable bodies, which would 
otherwise come day by day into new peril of death. We 
are taught to acknowledge, that, unless He, who created 
us, will also constantly preserve us, the life, which He has 
bestowed, would end ; and vain would be all the help of 
man. Such is the obvious meaning of this brief request. 
It implies moreover, that prayer is one of the appointed 
means of supplying our daily wants : and that the very 
food, which we earn by the sweat of our brow, is His 
gift. For is it not His sun. His wind, and His rain, which 
ripens every blade of corn which we eat ? Is it not God, 
Avho gives health and strength to the reaper ? and does not 
the same God bestow those bodily and mental powers, by 
which we earn whatever we exchange for our necessary 
food ? Is it not He, who blesses all our daily industry, and 
causes our substance to increase ? 

But this petition must be understood in an extensive 
sense. Bread being the principal thing which we need, 
it stands for all other necessaries. Whatever the weak- 
ness and helplessness of man desires from his heavenly 
Father during his passage through this mortal life — 
whether of a temporal, or of a spiritual nature — is repre- 
sented, in this short comprehensive prayer, by the term 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 69 

" Bread." Although, therefore, the words in the passage 
are few, the meaning is large. " Give us this day our 
DAILY BREAD :" — It is to Say, " Give us all things which 
Thou knowest to be needful to us. Supply, oh Lord, all 
our wants : we confess, that we cannot sustain ourselves ; 
and that all our support is derived from Thee. We are 
helpless as to our bodies ; and helpless as to our souls : 
and we, therefore, lift up our prayer to Thee, for whatso- 
ever things we need. Give unto us this day bread to sup- 
port our bodies ; and give unto us this day grace to sustain 
our souls : for on Thee alone do we depend." Such is 
the meaning of the prayer ; and exactly as our hearts tell 
US, that our wants are, so let our supplications also be. 
They who think only of temporal blessings, will be likely 
to consider the prayer as referring only to these ; but they, 
who feel their spiritual poverty, will also pray, while they 
utter these words, that their spiritual wants may be 
supplied. 



XXVI. 

ST. MATTHEW VI. 12. 

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. 

By the word " debts" is here evidently meant " tres- 
passes" or sins ; for the word " trespasses" is used in the 
same prayer, instead of " debts," in another part of 
Scripture. By our trespasses, we may be said to become 
debtors to God ; for we incur a penalty proportioned to 
the sins which we commit. Now the debts, w^hich we 
thus incur, we cannot pay. There is no hope that we 
shall ever pay them ; for the future obedience of our 



70 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

whole lives, even if it should be perfect, can never cancel 
the trespasses, which are past : just as the paying regularly- 
all our future debts can never cancel a debt, which is 
already standing out against us. We are, therefore, taught, 
in this prayer, to implore a free forgiveness ; and we are 
in it likened to debtors who have nothing to pay ; and 
who, therefore, can only ask a free discharge. We are 
enabled by other parts of Scripture to know on what 
ground it is that we obtain this pardon of our sins. That 
we ought to pray for pardon is all that we are here taught. 
The more particular doctrine of the manner of that pardon 
was to be divulged and explained when Christ should 
have paid the ransom of His death. " In whom we have 
redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of 
sins."* Let us not be surprised that the doctrine of the 
Atonement is not here declared. The Atonement was to 
be made, before it was to be distinctly revealed. That 
the sins of men might be forgiven ; and that the God of 
the Christian is a God rich in mercy, was information 
enough for this place : and it is information which should 
be unspeakably prized by every one, who knows that he is 
a sinner ; who jperceives, also, that his sins are so many 
debts due to God ; and that he must be bound hand and 
foot, and cast into prison, having nothing to pay, unless 
God will freely forgive them all. 

But it is also said, " Forgive our debts, as we forgive 
our debtors ;" and in another place. " Forgive us our sins, 
for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us."i By 
means of these words we are required, in our very prayer, 
to profess that we are in the habit of forgiving freely the 
debts, or trespasses of our neighbours ; a profession, indeed, 
which every Christian ought to be able confidently to make ; 
appealing, as he makes it, to that God who searcheth and 
knoweth the heart. 

Let us, then, take care, that, while we put up this prayer 

* Col. i. 14. Ephes. i. 7. f St. Luke, xi. 4. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 71 

for pardon, we do it in the spirit of free forgiveness to all 
others. It is necessary to feel this temper, in order to our 
praying acceptably, that our own sins may be forgiven. 
God rejects, with abhorrence, the prayer of that man who 
is not forgiving towards his neighbours. If we are unre- 
lenting to others, God will be unrelenting to us. We 
may gather from this test, whether our supplications shall 
be accepted. We need not ascend into Heaven, nor de- 
sire to have thence a special revelation t6 tell us, whether 
our prayers shall be heard, or not. If we draw near to 
God, in the spirit of the humble publican, smiting on our 
breasts, and saying, " Lord, be merciful to me a sinner ;" 
and if, at the same time, we feel, within us, a spirit of 
fervent charity towards all men, and of unreserved and free 
forgiveness towards those, in particular, who have in any 
way offended us, let us not doubt, that our heavenly Father 
hears the voice of our supplication, and will have com- 
passion upon us. " For if ye forgive men their trespasses, 
your heavenly Father will also forgive you ; but if ye for- 
give not men their trespasses, neither will your Father 
forgive your trespasses." 



XXVII. 

ST. MATTHEW, VI. 13. 

And lead us not into temptation. 

The excellency of this part of the Lord's prayer will be 
best understood by those who are most acquainted with the 
weakness of man, and his liability to be overcome by 
temptation. We are very apt to be severe on others when 
they fall into sin ; little thinking how likely to yield we 
ourselves should be, in case we should be thrown into the 



72 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

same scene of trial. If some sin were to present itself to 
us in its most inviting form, and at some of those moments 
when we are the most unguarded ; if an opportunity should 
be given us of committing it in perfect secrecy ; if it should 
be that sin, moreover, to which, from our age, temperament, 
circumstances, and condition in life, we might be most in 
danger of yielding ; who shall say that he should escape 1 
" Lead us not into temptation," ought surely then to be 
the language of all our hearts. The serious Christian feels, 
that the temptations, which are in life, constitute his great 
danger. He feels also, that it is safer to shun them ; than 
to expose himself to them in the confidence of overcoming 
them. He wants to be safe landed in heaven ; and, there- 
fore, wishes only to pursue that course in life, which may 
make his passage to heaven the most easy, by lessening 
the occasions of his falling into sin. " Lead me not into 
temptation" will, therefore, be one earnest part of his 
prayer ; and while he thus makes his supplication, that 
God, on whom he calls, will preserve him : God will give 
him grace to bear his smaller trials ; and will break, in 
some way or other, the force of those fiercer temptations, 
which he may be too weak to endure. God will so order 
the events of His providence, as to protect and preserve 
him ; for as the apostle observes, " God is faithful, who 
v/ill not suflfer you to be tempted, above that ye are able ; 
but will, with the temptation, also make a way to escape, 
that ye may be able to bear it."* 

One other remark is proper in this place. If we pray, 
not to be led into temptation, we should also take care, not 
to lead ourselves into it. How inconsistent, in this respect, 
is the conduct of many persons, with that Lord's prayer, 
which they perhaps daily use. They go to such places; — 
they read such books ; — or they associate with such com- 
panions, — as serve to inflame their passions, and to put 
their virtue to more trials than it can bear. They sufler 

* Cor. X. 13. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 73 

themselves to be carried to the very edge of sin ; they rua 
boldly and heedlessly into those very scenes of temptation, 
from virhich they, with their lips, implore God to deliver 
them, every time they utter the Lord's prayer. Let us, 
then, pray to be kept from temptation ; and let us also flee 
from it. In choosing our profession in life, our acquaint- 
ance, our connexions, let us make it a principal point in 
our consideration, what the comparative degree of tempt- 
ation is likely to be. By thus proceeding cautiously, we 
shall proceed safely : and if we pray, at the same time, 
with our heart, to God that He will lead us not into tempt- 
ation, we may hope that He will make all things work 
together for our good : and that, notwithstanding our extreme 
weakness, he will bring us safely through this dangerous 
and evil world, to His heavenly kingdom. 



XXVIII. 

ST. MA.TTHEW, VL 13. 

But deliver us from evil. 



The word evil as it stands in the original Greek may 
either be rendered the evil one, that is, the Devil ; or that 
which is evil. We shall choose, for our present purpose, 
to consider it in the latter sense. First, then, what is it 
to be delivered from that which is evil ? " Deliver us from 
evil" is a short expression ; but, like some other expressions 
in the Lord's prayer, it has a large and comprehensive 
meaning. We have already shown that " give us this day 
our daily bread" is a prayer for the gift of all that variety 
of things, whether spiritual or temporal, which are traly 
good for us. " Deliver us from evil," is in like jiianner a 
prayer for deliverance from all that variety o£ things which 

G 



74 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

are truly evil. In explaining the word " evil," we may first 
observe, that a very good exemplification of the meaning 
of the term is furnished by the Litany of the Church of 
England. We are there taught to pray for deliverance, as 
well from temporal evils, '' from lightning and tempest, from 
plague, pestilence and famine, from battle and murder, and 
from sudden (or violent) death." As, also, from the spirit- 
ual evils of blindness of heart ; and pride, vain glory, and 
hypocrisy, from envy, hatred, and malice, and all unchari- 
tableness ; from fornication and all other deadly sin ; and 
from all deceits of the world, the flesh, and the Devil : and, 
further, from all false doctrine, heresy and schism, from 
hardness of heart, and contempt of God's word and com- 
mandment : and in short from the grand evil of sin, from 
the crafts and assaults of the Devil, from God's wrath, and 
from everlasting damnation. It w^ould be easy to enlarge 
very widely on this subject ; for we live in a world where 
we are exposed to ten thousand different evils. Dangers 
threaten us, both at home, and abroad ; both by night and 
by day ; both in solitude, and in company ; at every age, 
under every circumstance, and in every situation. There 
is no place on earth to w^hich we can retreat, and say, that 
there we shall be secure from evil. What various pains 
and diseases are there, which attack the body ; and how^ 
many of these, which affect also the mind ? There is the 
loss of reason ; there are pangs and torments of various 
kinds to be dreaded by us ; and there are a thousand acci- 
dents which may put an end to our comfort, or destroy our 
lives, even in a moment. Besides which, how constantly 
are we exposed to every kind of spiritual evil : — especially 
to our great adversary the Devil, who " walketh about, 
seeking whom he may devour." Let it only be remarked, 
further, that we are in unceasing peril from the corruption 
of our own evil nature ; for we are ourselves often our own 
worst enemies. We are in peril from our unruly and tor- 
menting passions, which both injure the body ; and, also, 
war against th^ soul. It is in vain, therefore, to count the 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 75 

evils which threaten the sons of men. Man, in passing 
through the world, may be compared to a traveller in a 
wilderness, in which all manner of noxious and destroying 
animals abound ; and to a traveller, moreover, who is totally 
unarmed for his defence. What, then, can be more proper, 
than that one in such circumstances should, day by day, 
lift up his prayer to God, and say, *' Oh Lord, deliver me 
from evil." 

Let us, then, each ask ourselves, first, whether we are 
aware of all these evils ? whether we feel any lively sense 
of the peril, in which we continually stand ; whether, espe- 
cially, we know any thing of the evil of sin, and of our 
own danger from it ? and, secondly, let us ask ourselves, 
whether we are sensible, that God alone can save and 
deliver us ? It seems to be a great object of the Lord's 
prayer to inculcate upon us our weakness and sinfulness 
and danger, on the one hand ; and our dependence on God 
for grace and strength, on the other. To this end it is, 
that we are taught to call daily on God for all things which 
we need ; for the possession of all things which are desi- 
rable ; and for deliverance from all things which are hurtful. 
God is stronger than our enemies : He can, and He will, 
deliver as many as pray to Him for deliverance ; but He 
will leave those, to the power of their adversaries, who 
seek not their help from Him. Let us, then, daily implore 
His aid. Let us not go forth from our chamber in the 
morning, without first asking His protection and blessing. 

Let us fall down on our knees every morning ; and say, 
^* Oh Lord, deliver me this day from evil." 



76 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

XXIX. 

ST. MATTHEW, VI. 13. 

For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 

Our Lord closes that prayer which he teaches to His 
disciples, by thus ascribing dominion and power and glory 
to God. To praise and magnify God, is no unimportant 
part both of public and of private worship. Why is it, 
indeed, that we pray to God ? It is because He is able to 
fulfil the requests which we make unto Him. There is, 
t?ierefore, a connection between that part of our prayer, in 
which we supplicate, and that part in which we adore God, 
and acknowledge His divine perfection. It is the acknow- 
ledgment of God's greatness, which suggests to us our own 
littleness. It is the belief of His power, which encourages 
us to plead our own weakness ; and it is the view of His 
exceeding glory, which disposes us to self-abasement and 
humility. 

But let us proceed, mor6 particularly, to explain the 
expressions which close the prayer taught us by our Lord. 
" Thine is the kingdom." God is the true and rightful 
sovereign of this lower world : the various powers and 
authorities, which exist in it, are all derived from God : — 
for all power is of God ; — and he who resisteth the power, 
" resisteth the ordinance of God." Kings are subject to 
God. They are accountable to Him for all their actions ; 
though we should suppose them accountable to no one else. 
As all the inferior authorities of the kingdoms of this world 
are derived from the supreme authority of kings ; their 
authority is derived from God, and centres in His authority. 
His, therefore, is the kingdom. He is the true king over 
all ; and earthly kings are but the subjects of this one great 
jeternal King, " who is the King of kings, and Lord of lords." 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 77 

But God also is the true and rightful sovereign of the 
whole universe. The angels, principalities, and powers, 
which are in heaven, are subject to Him. Their power is 
entirely subject to His power ; and their authority, to His 
authority. 

Christ, indeed, is also declared in Scripture to be our 
Lord and King. He is the " King of Zion." " Behold I 
have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion."* " All 
kings," it is also said, " shall be made subject unto Him ; 
for He must reign till He hath put all enemies under His 
feet." Nevertheless, we are taught to expect that a time 
shall come, when the mediatorial throne shall be removed 
away; and that the Son Himself, when all things shall 
have been subdued unto Him, shall himself also be subject 
to the Father, "that God may be all in all."t 

Again, thine also is the power. As we have shown 
that there is no true dominion but that of God ; so, also, 
there is no true power but that of God. All the power of 
men and of angels is as nothing before Him ; such power 
as they have, He gives them ; theirs is only an inferior 
and delegated power : they have no power of their own. 
Kings, indeed, may boast of their power. They may send 
forth their armies into the field : they may command ; and 
the thing commanded shall be done : but it is done, only 
so far, as God permits it to be done. It is the power of 
God which sustains all the inferior powers in the universe ; 
and when He pleases, all the strength of his creatures 
utterly fails. It is He who setteth up kings at His pleasure. 
It is He also, who putteth them down. " He lifteth up the 
poor man out of the mire, that he may set him among the 
princes, even among the princes of the people :" for all 
power is of God : and there is not a thing which any 
individual does, but God gives him the power to do it. 
His, is the power ; and His, therefore, we should, in our 
prayer, acknowledge it to be. 

* Psalm, ii. 6. t 1 Cor. xv. 28. 



78 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

Again, lastly, thine is the glory. If indeed, His be 
the kingdom, and His the power, it follows that His also 
ought to be the glory. There can be no true glory but that 
of God. All the beings who are in heaven, and all the 
creatures which are on earth, all the things which exist, 
•whether animate or inanimate, in all the regions of 
infinite space, were created by God. To God, therefore, 
belongs the glory of what they are, and of all that they do : 
for on Him do they depend ; and His was the glory of 
creating them. 

Let us now consider, whether there be any thing which 
we have, of which we have a right to glory. Shall we 
glory in our wisdom ? But who gave us that wisdom ? 
Was it not God, who put into our minds whatever powers 
of understanding we possess ; and not we ourselves, who 
placed them there ? We have no more right, therefore, to 
glory in any natural faculties of the mind, than we should 
have to glory in having ourselves put the sun into the firma- 
ment. All our exercise, also, of these natural faculties, is 
through the power of God enabling us to exercise them. 
Again, all virtue and goodness are from God : they are, 
indeed, the immediate effect of His grace working in us. 
" What hast thou, that thou didst not receive ? Now, if 
thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst 
not received it ?"* We see then, that all glory belongs to 
God. His is the glory. The expression " thine is the 
glory" implies, then, that we renounce the glory : that we 
pretend not to it : that we ascribe it all to Him. May we, 
indeed, thus reject it : — may our ideas of God be such as 
to raise Him in our eyes : and to make us sink in our own 
esteem. May we exalt Him ; and annihilate ourselves : 
and in this spirit of self-annihilation, may we address our 
prayers unto Him. 

The term " for ever" signifies, that the kingdom and 
power and glory not only belong to God now ; but shall 

* 1 Cor. iv. 7. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 79 

belong to him for ever and ever. Thy kingdom, says the 
Prophet, is an everlasting kingdom : and Thy dominion 
endureth throughout all generations :* or, as our own Church 
expresses it ; '* as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever 
shall be, world without end." 

The word amen, which closes the prayer, signifies *' so 
be it." It is a fresh afE.rmation of what had before been 
said. It is like declaring the same thing a second time, for 
the sake of confirmation. 

We have now gone through our explanation of the Lord's 
Prayer. Let us learn in future, when we use this prayer, 
to say it, not with our lips only. Let us beware, lest we 
fall into that very sin of the heathen, against which our 
Saviour meant, by this prayer, to provide — the sin of using 
vain repetitions as the heathen did. This prayer itself is 
turned, as we fear, into a mere vain repetition, by thou- 
sands ; for they repeat it over and over, without sense or 
meaning. Let us turn it to the chief uses for which it was 
intended. Let us take a lesson from it, as to the manner 
in which we are to shape our prayers in general. Let us 
learn from it to avoid all mere service of the lips, and mul- 
tiplication of words, which are without meaning: and, 
w^henever we use this prayer itself, let us bear in mind the 
interpretation which has now been given of every sentence 
of it : and thus let us learn to " pray with the spirit, and 
with the understanding also."t 

* Psalm, cxlv. 13. t 1 Cor. xiv. 15. 



80 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

XXX. 

ST. MATTHEW, VI. 14, 15. 

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also for- 
give you : 

But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father for- 
give your trespasses. 

Christ, in his sermon on the mount, had already in- 
structed His disciples in the duty of showing mercy, and 
of even loving their enemies, " Blessed" He had said " are 
the merciful : for ihey shall obtain mercy."* And " Love 
your enemies ; bless them that curse you ; do good to them 
that hate you ; aud pray for them which despitefully use 
you, and persecute you."t And in the Lord's prayer. He 
had taught His disciples to say " Forgive us our debts, as 
we forgive our debtors. "| 

The forgiveness of injuries is, as we before remarked, 
one of the distinguishing doctrines of Christianity. We 
also before observed, that, this doctrine having been most 
plainly taught by Christ, there is no one now bearing the 
Christian name who refuses to give his assent to it: though, 
undoubtedly, there are multitudes who contrive, in one way 
or another, to evade it in their practice. 

We will here speak, more particularly than we have yet 
done, if those occasions on which an unforgiving spirit is 
now apt to show itself ; as well as of those modifications 
and disguises by which it is in this age apt to be concealed. 

The occasions, on which different men are apt to take 
offence, are indeed very different. It may however be ob- 
served, in general, that, whenever the pride of men is wound- 
ed, they are then wounded in the most tender part ; and that 
they cannot so easily forgive an affront to their pride, as 

* St. Matt. v. 7. f St. Matt. v. 44. t St. Matt. vi. 12. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 81 

they can an injury to their interest. Let us then not fancy 
that we are of a forgiving spirit, because we can forgive 
those who have committed a trespass upon our property ; 
because we can pardon the thief, or the house-breaker, 
who has robbed us, and whose injury moreover we know 
that the law of the land will amply revenge. Let us 
examine, rather, whether we forgive those who, by some 
act or other, have offered an affront to the natural pride of 
our hearts ; and who, in this far more trying way, have 
been guilty of some " trespass against us." Again, it is 
worthy of remark, that it is by no means the greatest and 
most notorious injuries, which are apt to give the greatest 
offence. On great occasions, we know that the world 
observes us ; and by forgiving a notable injury, we think 
that we shall do ourselves credit with the world. Moreover 
we usually find that where the injury is great, many 
sympathize wuth us, and join together in blaming the guilty 
persons. 

This general defamation of the man who has offended 
us, serves, much like the execution of the severe sentence 
of law, to satisfy our anger, and to quiet an unforgiving 
spirit. Let us not then take credit for forgiving our ene- 
mies, merely because we forgive them in cases of this sort. 
Let us inquire rather, whether we forgive him who injures 
us, when he does it in such a manner that the world takes 
part with him rather than with us : and when the offender 
seems to suffer no punishment, or inconvenience of any 
kind, for his offence. If we can forgive freely in cases of 
this kind, it is a strong mark of our having attained to a 
truly forgiving spirit. It is true, undoubtedly, that provo- 
cations will sometimes be given which are so very great 
that it is hard indeed, especially for men of certain natural 
tempers, not to be much ruffied by them. But it is one 
thing, to be agitated, and even angry, for a moment ; it is 
another, to bear settled malice in the heart. Let us dread, 
above all things, to retain a secret ill-will against any one. 
Let us be able to say, " There is no man on earth whom 



82 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

I account my enemy : I live in charity with all man- 
kind." 

Let us therefore inquire, not only whether we forgive 
those who trespass against us ; but in what sort of humour 
we are with them. Is it a benevolent and kind humour, 
an unreserved and friendly humour, a communicative and 
pleasant humour ? or are we reserved towards them, silent, 
distant, and desirous of avoiding them? Do we rejoice 
with them when they rejoice ; and weep with them when 
they have any thing to make them weep ; in the same 
manner as we did, before they trespassed against us ? If 
the trespass be thoroughly forgiven, undoubtedly this will 
be very much the case : but if quite the contrary to this 
happen ; if we feel secretly grieved at their cheerfulness 
and prosperity, and glad at their adversity ; this is a strong 
mark of our not feeling towards them in a forgiving spirit : 
for forgiveness, be it remembered, does not consist in 
saying "/ forgive.''' It consists in the general temper and 
spirit. It consists in the perseverance of kindness after 
the offence. How is this as to God ? We pray to be for- 
given by Him, in the same manner as we forgive others; 
but when we pray for his forgiveness, do we not mean by 
it, that we pray for a kind and beneficent and friendly dis- 
position in God towards us ? Should we consider Him as 
forgiving us our trespasses, if we knew Him to be still 
difficult of approach, cold and distant towards us, not 
allowing us to draw near to Him, in prayer, as His chil- 
dren ; but wishing us to depart from His presence, instead 
of inviting us towards Him ? 

Let us then examine ourselves closely, respecting the 
nature of that forgiveness which we exercise ; for in the 
same manner in which we forgive men their trespasses, our 
Heavenly Father will also forgive us. Oh, how great is 
the contrast between that forgiveness to which we lay 
claim, from God towards us ; and our temper towards 
others ; God, we expect, will forgive us great offences, 
offences many times repeated, and will forgive them freely, 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 83 

liberally, and from the heart. But we are offended at our 
neighbour, perhaps, for the merest trifles ; and for an injury 
only once offered : and we are but half reconciled, when 
we seem to forgive. Even an uncertain rumour, an am- 
biguous word, or a suspected look will inflame our anger ; 
and hardly any persuasion will induce us for a long time to 
relent: by one, offence is taken by a neglect at not answer- 
ing a letter ; by another, at not returning a visit ; by a third, 
at some accidental failure in those attentions which it is 
chiefly the pride and littleness of our own minds that has 
taught us to expect. We are embittered perhaps, not 
against enemies, but against our very friends, by some of 
these causes ; and we find it hard, and almost impossible, 
to forgive. 

How different is this treatment of others, who have 
trespassed against us, from that treatment which we expect 
at the hand of God ! In order, then, to cure this temper, 
let us call often to mind our own trespasses against Him, 
Let us earnestly implore of Him pardon for our great 
offences ; and while we thus pray, let us abhor the thought 
of retaining the slightest feeling of an unforgiving spirit 
towards our neighbour. 



84 FAMILY COJIMENTARY ON 

XXXI. 

ST. MATTHEW, VI. 16—18. 

Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance : 
for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. 
Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. 

But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 

That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in 
secret : and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. 

The Pharisees, who were hypocrites, fasted often ; and 
they took great care to appear to fast ; for an appearance 
of much praying and fasting was one path to reputation in 
those days. They had little regard, however, to that God 
who seeth in secret ; and did not reflect how much better 
it is to practise some of that self-denial which is known 
only to Him ; than to be full of sanctimonious pride, and 
to be had in respect and reverence, on account of their 
great austerities, by all the people. 

It may be asked, whether fasting be a duty now required 
of a Christian ? Our answer is, that Christ in this place, 
seems to approve, rather than to forbid it. It had, indeed, 
been on some occasions required of the Jews : and the 
Pharisees were much accustomed to it. This being the 
case, it looks as if our Saviour chose rather to assume the 
practice to exist, and to direct the manner in which men 
should fast ; than directly to prescribe any thing to His 
disciples, respecting the frequency, or the strict obligation, 
of the duty. And it seems in like manner proper now, 
that ministers should rather insist on the principle, which 
ought to govern Christians in respect to circumstances of 
this sort ; than attempt to define very closely what should 
be the exact conduct of individuals. There are occasions 
on which the nation is called upon to fast ; and to confess 
the national sins : and a Christian need hardly be told, that 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 85 

his serious observance of such seasons is a part of his 
Christian duty. There may undoubtedly be occasions, for 
individuals also, to set apart particular seasons for their 
own personal humiliation, and repentance of their particular 
sins. How^ far a literal fast ought in either of these cases 
to be carried, it is not, perhaps, easy to determine. But 
the precept here given ought, as we think, chiefly to be 
considered by us as a general precept respecting self-denial. 
That general self-denial is a Christian duty, is proved by 
many sayings of Christ, and by abundant passages of the 
New Testament. " If any man will come after me," (that 
is, will be my disciple,) " let him deny himself," said our 
Saviour.* " I keep under my body," said St. Paul, " and 
bring it under subjection ; lest that by any means, when I 
have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."! 
And again, " all things are lawful unto me," said St. Paul, 
*' but all things are not expedient : all things are lawful for 
me ; but I wdll not be brought under the power of any."J 
There is an habitual power over the body, to which it seems 
to have been the plan of St. Paul to attain ; and at which 
also all Christians should aim, by such means as they may 
find by their own experience to be most conducive to this 
end : and, in general, it is not so much fasting (which per- 
haps is but a means) as the attainment of the end, which 
we ought to regard. Whoever has not attained this end, — 
whoever, we mean, has not brought his body under any 
subjection, is at the mercy of a thousand temptations. It 
must then be the Christian's ambition to become, in this 
sense, independent. It should be his holy resolution, in 
the strength of that Saviour, to whom he continually looks 
up, to habituate himself to such degree of bodily mortifica- 
tion, and self-denial, as may best tit him for every part of 
his heavenly Master's service. This, however, he will 
not do by Popish or Pharisaical austerities ; nor by severi- 
ties practiscil ^r mere severity's sake ; nor by prescribing 
to himself any pla:? of self-denial, which is so severe as 
* St. Matt. xvi. 24. ,' V Cor. ix. 27. t 1 Cor. vi. 12. 

H 



86 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

only to increase upon the whole his temptations, instead 
of abating them ; nor by ostentatious display of his acts of 
self-denial ; nor by such severities as are meant to produce 
only self-complacent recollection ; but he must endeavour 
to gain his end, by suiting both the nature and the degree 
of his self-denial to the object which he has in view ; 
namely, the object of enabling hhiiself better to resist his 
temptations ; and better to serve God, in that situation and 
condition of life to which God's providence has already 
called him. 

In order, however, to obtain this object, there will be 
large occasion for acts of self-denial. Those acts, how- 
ever, should be secret. There is many a secret rule, 
which we should prescribe to ourselves as good for 
our own particular case, which it is better, perhaps, 
not even to avow to others. If our chief alms (as was 
before said) should be in secret, much more so should be 
our chief self-denial. There may be many occasions for 
self-denial which are known to ourselves only ; and if we 
duly practise the secret duty, that God who seeth us in 
secret shall reward us openly. The fair character, which 
many a Christian has in the sight of men for morality, for 
self-command, for proper temperance in all things, is the 
result, perhaps, much more of those secret struggles in 
which he has been exercised, than is commonly imagined. 

" But thou, when thou fastest," adds our Saviour, 
*' anoint thine head, and wash thy face :"* that is, put not on 
the appearance of a man of great self-denial before the world. 
Be easy, be cheerful, like other men. Let your private 
chamber, and let your conscience witness your struggles 
with yourself — but talk not of them — beware of giving a 
Pharisaical air to your character. " Be not," it is said, 
" as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance ; for they disfigure 
their faces. "t This, as applied to our days, may be con- 
strued to mean, that we ought not to endeavour to inspire 
an idea of our sanctity by means of any thing solemn and 
* St. Matt. vi. 17. tSt. Matt. vi. 16. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 87 

melancholy in our look, or any thing in our dress which is 
unbecoming and very particular. " Anoint thine head, and 
wash thy face."* In respect to dress and appearance, be 
much like other people ; make not your religion to consist 
in any disagreeable particularities of this sort. Much finery 
and extravagance of dress are undoubtedly forbidden in 
Scripture, by that passage which says, Let your adorning 
" not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of 
wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel."t But a mod- 
erate conformity to the world, in things indifferent, seems, 
to be authorized by the spirit of this passage ; anoint thine 
head. 

How amiable in all these respects is Christianity! It 
requires of us nothing which ought to make us in any respect 
disagreeable to any one ; and it consists in practice, much 
more than in profession. While the man of the world pre- 
tends, in every respect, to much more than he practises, 
the Christian practises much more than he professes. In 
secret, he exercises himself in much self-denial ; while in 
all his outward garb he conforms himself to the innocent 
customs of the world ; yet without being carried into any 
fashionable extravagance. He is neat and decent, and in 
nowise particular in his apparel. He is pure in heart ; but 
not solemn and sanctimonious in look. He is very strict 
with himself in secret, having many a private law of self- 
denial and mortification, which he prescribes to himself; 
but these escape the observation of the public. 

May this be our character ! May we please that God 
who seeth in secret ; and may He, who seeth us in secret, 
reward us openly ! 

* St. Matt. vi. 17. t 1 Peter iii. 3. 



S8 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

XXXII. 

ST. MATTHEW, YI. 19—21. 

Lay not up for yourselve& treasures upon earth, where moth and rust 
doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal : 

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor 
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal : 

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 

There are, perhaps, few errors more common or more 
mischievous, than that of supposing that Christianity was 
intended only to be a cure for the greater vices and immo- 
ralities of men ; and that a decent, orderly, and, at the 
same time, worldly way of life is consistent with it. Our 
Lord Jesus Christ came down from heaven, in order to 
set before men the hope of everlasting life ; and to call 
away their thoughts, affections, and desires from earthly 
things, to those things which are heavenly. " Set your 
affection on things above, not on things on the earth,"* is 
one chief precept of the gospel. The bulk of mankind are 
pursuing eagerly the things of this life ; and the acquisition 
of money, in particular, is the object which is nearest the 
hearts of most men. It has been thus from the beginning : 
— in the days of the prophets, men are spoken of, as adding 
*' house to house," and " field to field. "f In the days of 
our Saviour, they are warned against " pulling down their 
barns, in order to build larger;" and against saying to them- 
selves, " Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years ; 
take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. "+ And in these 
days, how does the same spirit prevail: — most men both 
act and talk as if the only end, for which they were sent 
into the world, were that of increasing their worldly pos- 
sessions ; how they may best improve the property which 
they have in land ; how they may make an advantageous 
* Colossians iii. 2. f Isa, v. 8. t St. Luke xii. 19. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 89 

purchase in the stocks ; or how they may turn to their 
benefit a speculation in trade. These are the points on 
Avhich men discourse with the most anxiety ; and on which 
they most of all set their hearts. For the love of wealth 
they are willing to toil and labour ; " to rise early, and late 
take rest, and to eat the bread of carefulness."* They are 
worn with anxiety respecting these their worldly affairs. 
They seem to long but for one thing in life ; and that is, to 
get a good fortune for themselves ; and, then, they hope to 
leave a good sum to each of their children, when they die. 
But " lay not up for yourselves," says Christ, " treasures 
upon earth : where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where 
thieves break through and steal ; but lay up for yourselves 
treasures in heaven."t Oh, if men were but as eager with 
respect to the next world, as they are in respect to this, 
what a rich inheritance might they obtain ! But they 
labour merely for the perishing riches : — they lay up that 
" wealth which moth and rust can corrupt, and which 
thieves can break through and steal." They please them- 
selves, indeed, with the good security for their money, 
which they obtain ; they embark their property, as they 
think, in none but safe and prudent speculations ; they 
invest it in solid land, or in the safest sort of stocks ; and 
little reflect, to how many accidents all earthly possessions 
are exposed. 

These are the times J which have remarkably shown to 
us the great uncertainty of riches : for how many have 
been lately wandering over the earth, every where begging 
their bread, or earning it by the hardest labour, who once 
lived in affluence in their own land, and thought that they 
had safe, as well as large, possessions ; but their riches 
have made to themselves wings and flown away ; the 
moth and rust have corrupted them, and the thieves have 
broken through, and stolen them. 

*Ps. cxxvii. 2. t St. Matt. vi. 19, 20. 

t Written during the French Revolution ; after the emigration of 
thousands, nobles and priests, from their own country to England. 

H* 



90 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

How many, indeed, of every country fall into sudden 
and unexpected poverty : — some one breaks, who was in 
their debt ; some article, in which their chief property had 
consisted, sinks remarkably in value ; some trading specu- 
lation proves unfortunate ; some crop from their land fails, 
through the badness of the season ; or some one either 
robs, or cheats them ; and, thus, their hoard is taken from 
them. If the heart be fixed on money, how is a man pained 
and grieved in all cases of this sort. 

But if, on the contrary, we have only laboured to get a 
competency for ourselves, and our families, according to 
the will of God ; not so much caring about the wealth 
itself, as about the fulfilment of our own duty by the per- 
formance of what belongs to our stations ; and if, in the 
midst of our labour we have calmly left it to Providence to 
send poverty, or riches, as He pleases ; — if, amidst all our 
worldly business, our hearts have habitually been in Heaven ; 
if we have often thought of Heaven, talked of Heaven, and 
prayed to have our chief inheritance in Heaven ; if it have 
been the end of all our actions in this life to provide our- 
selves " bags which wax not old, a treasure in the Heavens 
that faileth not ;"* if to grow in grace, to be rich in faith, 
and to abound in every good work, have been accounted 
by us the great ends of living ; and if we have thus learnt 
to feel a holy disdain of all merely temporal riches ; then, 
and then only, may we consider ourselves as having fulfil- 
led the precept given us in this passage : — then may we 
be said to have laid up our happiness in a place where it 
shall not be liable to earthly accidents ; " where neither 
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break 
through nor steal :"t and where our treasure is, there will 
our heart be also. 

The heart of every man accompanies his treasure ; for 

that is a man^s treasure which his heart runs after the most. 

Would we therefore know where our chief treasure lies ? — 

we have only to inquire where cur chief affections are 

♦ St. Luke xii, 33. f St. Mark vi. 2a. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 91 

placed. Are they set on Heaven, or on earth ? — on things 
above, or on something here below ? This consideration 
is indeed a very awful one : for it implies, that they, whose 
affections and desires do not point towards Heaven, have 
certainly no treasure there. They, who take no thought 
about Heaven, have no inheritance in that better world. 
Their whole treasure is on earth, where their heart so 
plainly is. May we try ourselves continually by this test : 
for Christ hath given it to us for this purpose. May we 
consider seriously how much this saying of Christ im- 
ports : it is, as if we had heard Him saying, — Tell me 
where your heart is, and there you shall find your treas- 
ure : — tell me where 3^our treasure is, and there assuredly 
will be your heart. 



XXXIII. 

ST. MATTHEW, V. 22, 23. 

The light of the body is the eye : if therefore thine eye be single, thy 
whole body shall be full of light : 

But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness ; if there- 
fore the light, that is in thee, be darkness, how great is that darkness ! 

Our Saviour here instructs us, by means of one of our 
bodily senses, in a very great and fundamental religious 
truth. He says—" The light of the body is the eye ; and, 
if thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of 
light :" that is, the body is directed by the light which is 
in the eye : and, if the eye be perfectly sound, and see 
right, then the whole body will have the benefit of its light. 
But " if the eye be evil," if the member which directs the 
body be disordered ; then, " the whole body shall be full of 
darkness ; and if the light, that is in thee, be darkness, 
how great is that darkness." 



92 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

Let us now apply this, as our Saviour undoubtedly 
meant it should be applied, to the case of man in respect to 
his spiritual condition. There is a certain spiritual faculty, 
which is, to the whole moral man, much what the faculty 
of the eye is to the whole body. We mean, that there is a 
certain power of perceiving and distinguishing what is 
morally right and morally wrong, and what is morally 
true and morally false, without which our moral conduct 
cannot be made right. If a man be used to " call evil, 
good; and good, evil ;" " to put darkness for light, and light 
for darkness ;"* if he be blind to all moral excellency ; if 
he have no taste for spiritual things ; if truth and upright- 
liess, if purity and holiness, if religion and godliness have 
no beauty in his eyes, it is in vain to talk of his moral con- 
duct being made right. It is true, there may be an external 
morality ; there may be certain acts done, which, in them- 
selves, are moral and right ; and which may pass for virtues, 
in the eyes of men : but they are no virtues in the sight of 
God, who considers the moral quality of the act, as deter- 
mined by the moral state of the mind and heart. 

In order, therefore, to do any one action aright, the heart, 
in the first place, must be turned to the love of true holi- 
ness. The eyes of the understanding must be enlightened ; 
the reason, which is in man, must be sanctified ; the natural 
blindness, and prejudice against religious truth must be 
removed ; the faculty of discerning spiritual things must be 
acquired ; otherwise, the man, in spite of all his boasted 
reason, will only grope in darkness in respect to spiritual 
things. He may do by chance, it is true, some things 
which in themselves are right ; since even a blind man may 
chance to walk for a while in the right path : but, in 
general, he will take the wrong course ; though ignorant 
that he does so ; and it is not his own eyesight, which will 
lead him in any one instance aright : his whole body is 
full of darkness. 

* Isaiah, v. 20. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 93 

A few remarks shall now be made on the subject, which 
will serve fmther to illustrate it. 

And, first, we may learn from hence the reason why so 
many neglect or reject the Gospel of Christ ; and among 
them not a few who possess much human wisdom and 
learning. They want that spiritual light in the mind, of 
which our Saviour here speaks. They choose to them- 
selves some principle of morals, or some system of what 
they may call religion, less holy than the principle and 
system of the Gospel, and w^hich better suits the unholiness 
of their hearts. " Light is come into the world," said our 
Saviour, " and men loved darkness rather than light, be- 
cause their deeds were evil."* All indisposition to receive 
either the Gospel in general, or its peculiar doctrines, is 
resolved in Scripture into blindness, and hardness of heart, 
and want of spiritual discernment. For, " the natural man," 
says St. Paul, " receiveth not the things of the Spirit of 
God : for they are foolishness unto him ; neither can he 
know them, because they are spiritually discerned."! And, 
again, "But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are 
lost : in whom the God of this world hath blinded the 
minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the 
glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, 
should shine unto them. "J So, also, it is said by St. John, 
of him who wants the particular grace of charity, or love, 
that " he walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he 
goeth."^ 

Again, secondly, let us cease to wonder that there is 
so much self-confidence, self-righteousness, and self-com- 
placency, as there is in men ; and as there is in those men 
in particular, who are more than commonly depraved. The 
light that is in them is darkness : — the faculty of discerning 
spiritual and moral truth is corrupted and diseased. Hence 
multitudes are continually doing evil, who think that they are 

* St. John, iii. 19. f 1 Cor. ii. 14. 1: 2 Cor. iv. 4. 

<5 1 St. John, ii. 11. " 



94 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

doing good. They dress themselves out in certain fancied 
virtues, which, in the sight of God, are sins. But woe be 
unto them, the prophet seems to say, ** who compass them- 
selves with sparks of their own kindling."^ Woe be to 
those who create to themselves virtues which God never 
made to be such ; and then trust to their performance of 
these for their acceptance with Him. It has often been 
remarked, by some of the most accurate observers of man- 
kind, that the persons, who trust most to their own good 
works for salvation, are commonly those who have the least 
of these to trust to. And this is a paradox, to the solution 
of which we ought carefully to attend. The solution is 
easy, if we do but take into consideration the saying of 
Christ of which we are now treating. The light, which 
is in these persons, is darkness ; and all the virtues, in 
which they trust, are false virtues. How gross, indeed, is 
the self-deceit of man in this respect! For if the light, 
which should be in them, '' be darkness, now great is that 
darkness !"t Who is there, for instance, however distin- 
guished by the profligacy of his life, w^ho has not some 
sort of morality, or virtue, or religion, ar honour, some sub- 
stitute for true goodness, of which he boasts ? This false 
and spurious goodness is made the theme of the wicked 
man's conversation. It is the sort of goodness, which he 
tells you that he approves in others, and that he is not 
defective in practising himself. This false goodness be- 
comes the rival and competitor of the true : and, being thus 
preferred from a predilection for it, which is not insincere ; 
and being also thus practised, (for it is most easy to be 
practised,) it commonly also is considered as meritorious in 
its nature ; and is trusted to, as the ground of salvation. 
That man, on the other hand, whose eyes it has pleased 
God to open, so that he sees clearly into the nature of real 
holiness, is sure to see also, how exceedingly defective in 
it he is : — he is glad to accept of an interest in his Saviour's 

* See Isa. 1. 11. f St. Matt. vi. 23. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 95 

sacrifice ; being, on account of his ten thousand deficiencies, 
humbled to the very dust before his God. 

Again, thirdly, let us beware of the error of those who 
think, that it is only necessary for a man to act according 
to his conscience, in order to make sure that his conduct 
shall be right. It ought, first, to be inquired, whether it be 
an enlightened conscience which he follows. For there 
certainly is such a thing as a blinded conscience ; and, 
also, a sleepy conscience, a corrupted conscience, a hard- 
ened conscience, a "conscience seared as with a hot iron."* 
There have been those who have even thought, that in 
killing the best servants of God, they did God service.f 
More than half, perhaps, of the common sins of men, are 
committed by them without the least violence to con- 
science : and, for this reason,— the " light that is in them 
is darkness." If the mind and conscience are truly enlight- 
ened, so as to discern religious truth, and error, and good, 
and evil ; and so as to know the whole nature and extent 
of religious and moral duty ; then, indeed, to follow con- 
science is to follow a single or clear-sighted eye ; and the 
eye being " single," the general conduct will be right : — 
the whole body will be full of light. But if the " eye be 
evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness ;" and if 
" the light, that is in thee, be darkness, how great is that 
darkness."+ Let us then dread an ignorant and blinded 
conscience : it is the source of ten thousand sins, of which 
we are not at all aware. Let us dread it as we would a dis- 
eased eye, which, if it see at all, yet sees falsely. 

But how, it will be said, are we to obtain this spiritual 
faculty which has been so much spoken of? Our answer 
is, that it is to be obtained by prayer, and also by the use 
of all those means which God hath appointed for the attain- 
ment of it. The Holy Spirit is the author of all spiritual 
light; and our Saviour, hath assured us, that God will 
" give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him."§ Would 

* 1 Tim. iv. 2. f St. John, xvi. 2. t St. Matt. vi. 23. 

^ St. Luke, xi. 13. 



96 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

we know the first principles of our religion, would we be 
instructed aright respecting God the P^ather, and his Son 
Jesus Christ ; — the same God, who said in the beginning, 
*' Let there be light, and there was light ;"* — the same 
God, who then " commanded the light to shine out of dark- 
ness," must shine into our hearts, ^' to give the light of the 
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. "f 
David prayed thus for the divine illumination : " open thou 
mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy 
law."+ Saint Paul prayed for his converts thus : " the 
eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may 
know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches 
of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. "§ 

Let us pray to God for the same gift : let us pray also, 
that we may " be filled wdth the knowledge of His will in 
all wisdom and spiritual understanding/'!! 

To prayer, however, we must add other means. We must 
take all measures for detecting in ourselves every religious 
error : we must avoid prejudice ; we must inquire, examine, 
reflect, observe. We must read the Scriptures with great 
attention : we must make honest use of the little light 
which we have : " for whosoever hath, to him shall be 
given ; and w^hosoever hath not" (that is, makes no use of 
what he hath) " from him shall be taken away even that 
which he seemeth to have."T[ 

But it may, also, be asked. How are we to know whether 
we have the spiritual faculty or not ? We answer, " to the 
law, and to the testimony,"** examine what the Scripture 
testifies on this subject. A taste for the Scriptures is, in- 
deed, of itself, a sign of our possessing some degree of this 
spiritual light : we mean, provided it be a taste for the 
entire and unadulterated word of God, and not for a few 
favourite or perverted parts of it. 

We will only add the following caution. Some are apt 

* Gen. i. 3. 12 Cor. iv. 6. t Ps. cxix. 18. 

^ Eph. i. 18. li Col. i.. 9. 1 St. Luke viii. 18. 

** Isaiah viii. 20. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 97 

to tliink that spiritual light has respect chiefly either to the 
mysteries, or to what are now commonly called the doc- 
trines of the Gospel, which is certainly a great mistake. 
Spiritual light is continually spoken of in Scripture as hav- 
ing a reference also to every part of a man's practical 
conduct. Thus, Saint Peter, after speaking of faith, virtue, 
knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kind- 
ness, and charity, observes, in respect to them all, " that he 
that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, 
and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins."* 
And Saint John also observes, that he that " hateth his 
brother, is in darkness even until now."f As the eye in- 
structs the body how to move, and enables each limb to act 
its proper part ; so the spiritual faculty of the mind, when 
in its full vigour and perfection, directs every action of the 
life : it helps us to perceive our various duties, instructs 
us what to aim at, and what to avoid : it enables us to 
know what tempers are good, and what are evil ; what 
thoughts, what words, what actions. It informs us not in 
doctrines only, or in the mysteries of our faith, but in every 
branch and ramification of our various duties, whether to 
God or man. For if " thine eye be single, thy whole 



XXXIV. 

ST. MATTHEW, VI. 24. 



No man can serve two masters : for either he will hate the one, and love 
the other ; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye 
cannot serve God and Mammon. 

This is a most important and fundamental maxim of true 

religion. " No man can serve two masters :" that is, two 

apposite masters. The word " Mammon" signifies riches, 

* 2 St. Pet. i. 9. 1 1 St John ii. 9. t St. Matt, vi. 32. 

1 



98 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

or the god of riches. It may stand, however, for any other 
idol, which men may be disposed to worship. This saying 
of Christ, therefore, if taken in the narrow sense, means, 
ye cannot be servants to God, and, at the same time, ser- 
vants (or slaves) to the love of money : or, if taken in the 
largest sense, ye cannot be servants to God, and at the 
same time servants (or slaves) to any other master — either 
to riches, or to honour, or to pleasure ; either to the world, 
to the flesh, or to the Devil. In whichsoever of these senses 
we interpret the term, " Mammon ;" God and Mammon are 
opposite masters ; and they command opposite duties. That 
which the one directs us to hate, the other instructs us to 
love ; and that which the one requires us to do, the other 
commands us to leave undone. Allegiance to the one is 
rebellion against the other. It is impossible to unite the 
two services ; and it is hypocrisy, as well as folly, to at- 
tempt to do it. Choose, therefore, which ye will serve : 
ye cannot serve God and Mammon. 

In enlarging on this passage, it may be observed, that 
fidelity to God is here implied to be a leading principle of 
true religion. God is held up to us, under the character 
of a master ; and man, in that of a servant. God, indeed, 
may also be considered as represented in this place in the 
light of a lord or king ; and man, in that of a subject. To 
be a Christian, therefore, is to be a faithful servant of our 
heavenly Master, and to be a loyal subject of the King of 
kings. It is, to take Him, and Him only, for our Lord. It 
is, to refuse obedience to His competitors and His adver- 
saries. It is, to obey the laws of God, and not any opposite 
laws. It is, to bow to His authority, and not to any rival 
authority. It is, to love God, to fear God, to delight in 
God : and comparatively speaking, neither to love, nor fear, 
nor delight in any other object. It is, to hate and despise 
all other objects, when considered as competitors with God. 

Many, who profess in general to be servants of God, are 
far from being thus faithful to Him. They are like ser- 
vants having two masters ; or like subjects pretending 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 99 

allegiance to two kings, who are rivals of each other. They 
obey God, as they think ; but they obey Mammon also. 
They endeavour to unite the two services : — they wish to 
be in favour with God, and in favour also with men; to 
gain the riches of this life, and likewise a treasure in 
heaven ; to possess the honour of the world, as well d^ 
eternal glory. 

Let us now speak particularly of those who serve Mam- 
mon in the most literal sense ; and in treating of these, we 
shall describe a large part of mankind. Most men, in 
entering upon their profession, especially if it be that of 
trade, propose to make their fortunes, as they call it. 
" What," say they, ** is the use of following business, if we 
are not to gain money by it ? We will labour to be rich, 
and even to be very rich ; but we will use honest means, 
and take due care to fulfil, at the same time, all our religious 
and moral duties." 

Such persons mistake the nature of true religion. They 
understand not, that it consists in mortifying those earthly 
desires which naturally govern the heart, in order that by 
so mortifying them, God may reign without a rival there. 
They perceive not, that indifference to wealth, and a dis- 
position to labour for the sake of duty, and not of covetous- 
ness, are some of the chief marks of true religion. They, 
moreover, mistake in supposing, that any man, influenced 
by a strong love of wealth, can carry on his business with 
perfect fairness. 

The desire of money blinds the eyes, and betrays into 
frauds which are unperceived. Would you be strictly 
honest — would you avoid the crooked conduct common in 
your profession — begin with determining that it shall be 
your chief object to please God, and not to obtain money : 
for be assured, that a man cannot be true to his gain, and 
true to his God also. You cannot serve both these masters ; 
either you must hate the one, and love the other ; or hold 
to the one, and despise the other : you cannot serve God 
and Mammon. 



100 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

But wealth is by no means the only rival of God in the 
heart. Wealth is even despised by some men of the world. 
The object of their supreme desire is perhaps a proud pre- 
eminence in their profession, or at least a very honourable 
station in it. In comparison of this, the favour of God is 
little thought of or regarded. With others, to rise in the 
general scale of society is the one object of ambition. Old 
persons aim to gratify the same dispositions with the young, 
by preferring, before all other objects, the worldly exalta- 
tion of their children. In all these cases, and perhaps in 
all of them equally, God is dethroned from His proper 
place in the heart : and herein consists the sin of any one 
ruling passion. All inordinate desire, therefore, is sin ; 
though it should not issue in any particular crime : and all 
desire is inordinate, which is greater than the desire of 
pleasing and serving God. For " He that loveth father or 
mother more than me," says our Saviour, " is not worthy of 
me : and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is 
not worthy of me."* " Whosoever he be of you that for- 
saketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple."t 

There are a variety of ways in which the subject before 
us may be considered. The passage may serve to reprove 
some persons who are too much conformed to the world ; 
and yet possess certain religious feelings. Perhaps, they 
are free from great vices : they do many benevolent and 
useful things : they also praise pious people ; and so far, 
all is well. But there is another side to their character. 
The world has a strong influence over them ; they wish 
indeed, to ascend to heaven when they die ; but they cannot 
bear the thought of losing that estimation among worldly 
persons, of which they are in possession. They obey God, 
in some things ; they obey the world, in others. They are 
pious in the closet ; but when they come out of it, they are 
conformed to the world. On the Sabbath-day, they are in 
the house of God, and in the congregation of the faithful ; 
but they are among the scenes of dissipation in the week. 
* St. Matt. X. 37. t St. Luke siv. 33. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 101 

*• They say, as the world says ; they go, where the world 
goes ; they do, as the world does." They are enslaved by 
the customs and opinions of their worldly friends and 
neighbours. The desire of the favour of the world being 
therefore stronger in them, than the desire of the favour of 
God, the world is their master, and not God : or they try, 
it may be said, to serve both ; forgetting, that " no man 
can serve two masters," and that " ye cannot serve God 
and Mammon." 

It is not uncommon to see parents cultivate a certain sort 
of piety, as a thing graceful and ornamental to a young 
woman ; while, at the same time, they have the utmost 
dread of its being carried to the inconvenient length of 
rendering her in any way particular. But how ill do such 
parents understand the true nature of the religion of Christ. 
How little also do they consult the real interest of those, 
whose souls God has committed to their charge. The 
piety of young persons thus educated is commonly super- 
ficial, and soon vanishes ; but if it prove real, they become, 
perhaps, entangled through their parents in some worldly 
connection, which constitutes the trial of their remaining 
days. 

We may also employ this passage in the way of reproof 
to some apparently serious, but not very consistent persons. 
We now speak of those who talk much of religion, and 
pass many an hour among those, whom they deem reli- 
gious ; who frequently attend on the means of grace, and 
are zealous for the gospel : but, though much of their time 
appears to be very properly spent, and a certain part also 
of their substance ; yet a large portion of their day is con- 
sumed in idleness ; and a part of their money, in minister- 
ing either to their vanity or their luxury. They allot to 
religion the time and money which they judge to be due 
to it : but they conceive the remainder to be their own ; 
and are not aware that true religion requires a constant 
principle of fidelity to God in the heart ; and the devotion 
of all our time, and of all our talents, to his service ; though 

I* 



102 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

the manner of doing this, like the employments of different 
servants, or of the same servant at different periods, will be 
various, Sneh persons should be taught to fear, lest they 
also should be found to serve two masters, permitting them 
to reign by turns ; and thus to have a divided empire over 
their hearts. 

Finally, let us all remember that our preference of God 
over every other master must be decided. Let us also 
bear in mind, that the world is the great enemy, and rival, 
of God. " Love not the world, nor the things of the world. 
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in 
him." It is called in Scripture, "the evil world,"* " the 
wicked world," and the world which " lieth in wicked- 
iiess."t Conformity to it is the great source of ruin to 
persons of the upper class ; and to break with it is the 
great difficulty. But we must break with it, if we would 
become the friends of God. " Ye adulterers, and adul- 
teresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is 
enmity with God ? Whosoever therefore will be a friend 
of the world, is the enemy of God. "J 

Let us then follow the Lord fully. Let us follow Himy 
and not the world ; Him, and not om* own lusts ; Him^ and 
no other master. Let it not even be suspected that we 
have two masters. 

« Gal. L 4. 1 1 St John, v. 19. t St. James, iv. 4. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 103 

XXXV. 

ST. MATTHEW, VI. 25—34. 

Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall 

eat, or what ye shall drink ; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put 

on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment 1 
Behold the fowls of the air : for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor 

gather into barns ; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye 

not much better than they 1 
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto hia stature 1 
And why take ye thought for raiment 1 Consider the lilies of the field, 

how they grow ; they toil not, neither do they spin : 
And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all bis glory was not 

arrayed like one of these. 
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and 

to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O 

ye of little faith T 
Therefore take no thought, saying What shall we shall eat? or. What 

shall we drink 1 or. Wherewithal shall we be clothed 1 
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek :) for your heavenly 

Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness ; and all 

these things shall be added unto you. 
Take therefore no thought for the morrow : for the morrow shall take 

thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil 

thereofF. 

Christianity not only instructs us in our duties; it also 
provides for our comfort. The precepts of Christ in this 
passage evidently tend to our happiness. All anxious care 
is here forbidden; all uneasy fear respecting the future; 
all distrust of the good Providence of God. The world is 
full of perturbations : to-day, we dread one evil ; to-morrow 
another : — at one time we are anxious about some friend, 
or relation ; at another, we ourselves are threatened by 
sickness, or some other adversity. We do not enjoy the 
comforts of the present hour, because we dread the mor- 
row : and life is spent perhaps in the anticipation of evils^^ 



104 FAMILY CO]M:vIE.NTAUY ON 

which, after all, never afflict us. The anxiety most com- 
mon to man, is that of which Christ speaks in this passage, 
— anxiety respecting our daily bread. In all ages and coun- 
tries, the larger part of the community have lived in a state 
of fear concerning the means of their subsistence. The 
poor labourer of our day dreads, lest he should either fail 
to find employment, or should be disabled by sickness ; lest 
his family should grow too numerous and expensive to be 
supported by him ; lest bread should rise in price, and the 
times become too hard for him. Not a few also of the 
higher class lead a life of no less anxiety, respecting the 
means of obtaining that which they deem a decent and even 
a necessary subsistence. But " take no thought," says our 
Saviour, ** for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall 
drink ; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on."* Be 
not at all careful respecting these subjects. " Is not the 
life more than meat, and the body than raiment ?" God has 
given you life : and, if you owe even this to Him, may you 
not trust to His providing meat to sustain that life ? He 
has given you a body, and may you not trust to his sending 
raiment to cover that body ? Since you owe to Him that 
which is greater, may you not trust Him for that which is 
less ? *' Behold the fowls of the air ; for they sow not, 
neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your 
Heavenly Father feedeth them."t The birds of the air are 
evidently provided for by God. They gather the food 
which He sends ; not that which they have themselves 
sown, and reaped, and collected : " Are ye not much better 
than they ?" Are ye not of more value in the sight of God, 
and therefore likely to be more the objects of His care, 
than many sparrows ? " And which of you by taking 
thought can add one cubit to his stature ?" That is, where 
is the use of this anxiety ? You can no more improve 
your lot, by your anxious thought ; than you can by the 
same thought, improve your statrre. " And why take ye 
thought for raiment ? consider the lihes of the field, how 
♦ St. Matt. vi. 35. f St. Matt. vi. 26. 



THE SEEMON ON THE MOUNT. 105 

they grow ; they toil not, neither do they spin." As the 
fowls of the air are provided for by God, so also are the 
lilies of the field. The fowls of the air fail not to be fed 
by Him ; and, therefore, why should you not trust Him for 
your food ? The lilies of the field fail not to be clothed by 
Him ; and, therefore, why should you not trust Him for 
your raiment? They are clothed, without their taking 
thought about it for themselves ; for they toil not, neither 
do they spin ; and yet they are clothed so beautifully, 
" that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like 
one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the 
field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, 
shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith ?"* 
Weakness, or want of faith, is the cause of all this distrust. 
" Therefore, take no thought (or, be not anxious) saying, 
what shall we eat ? or what shall we drink ? or, where- 
withal shall we be clothed ?" Let not these common sub- 
jects of anxiety trouble you (" for after all these things do the 
Gentiles seek.") It is the character of the Gentiles, that is, 
of the unbelieving world, to be ever careful about these 
w^orldly things. Leave it, therefore, to those who know 
not God, to be thus corroded with care respecting their 
temporal interests. " But seek ye first the kingdom of 
God, and His righteousness." Let your first concern be 
to be a member of my kingdom, and a partaker of the 
righteousness of my gospel ; and having secured this better 
part, encourage yourselves by the hope that the same God, 
who enriches you with the great gift of salvation, will not 
fail to add whatever worldly blessings He sees to be good 
and necessary for you. Assure yourselves that all these 
things shall be added unto you. *' Take, therefore, no 
thought for the morrow : for the morrow shall take thought 
for the things of itself." Multiply not your sorrows, by 
living in perpetual fear of sorrows. Enjoy the blessings 
which you have : thank God for these ; and trust Him 
for the future. Possibly, the evil which you dread, may 
* St. Matt. vi. 29, 30. 



106 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

never come ; but trust, that, if it shall come, God will sup- 
port you under it, in some mode, of which as yet possibly 
you can form no conception. Take care of to-day ; and 
let to-morrow take thought for the things of itself; for it is 
enough for every day to bear its own burden. " Sufficient 
unto the day is the evil thereof." 

Such is the meaning of the passage before us. We may 
take occasion to remark upon it, how merciful a God is He 
whom we serve. He does not delight in grieving the sons 
of men ; His precepts tend to make our paths through this 
world cheerful and easy. An Epicurean philosopher could 
not have delivered a precept more calculated to spare pain. 
Let us, however, remember, that the comfort here proffered 
to us, can be fully enjoyed by him only, who has already 
secured an interest in the Gospel. We must first believe 
in God ; otherwise how can we trust Him ? We must, 
first, perceive that all things happen by His appointment ; 
otherwise, how can we place confidence in his providential 
dealings towards us 1 We must seek, first, his kingdom 
and righteousness ; and then, and then only, may we hope 
that, being assured of heaven and eternal glory, all these 
inferior things, " which are needful to the body, shall be 
added unto us." 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 107 

XXXVI. 

ST. MATTHEW, VII. 1, 2. 

Judge not, that ye be not judged. 

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged : and with what 
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 

Men of the world are accustomed to accuse the more 
strict and religious person of severity in judging them, " Is 
it not," say they, " written in that very Bible which you 
profess to follow, " Judge ?wt, that ye he not judged V Why, 
therefore, do you not obey your own Scriptures ? We, for 
our part, judge no one ; while you, both by thinking ill of 
human nature in general, and of a multitude of individuals, 
betray a want of that charity which we deem to be the 
sum of Christian virtue. — By such language as this, many, 
who are unacquainted with the superior strictness of 
Christianity, and walk in the broad road, defend their 
own cause, while they pretend to be pleading that of 
the Gospel. Many, also, who allow in themselves some 
habitual vice, make a somewhat similar defence, when 
charged with the sin which they commit : " allow us to 
practise the sin to which we are prone ; we will tolerate an 
equal degree of iniquity in you." Let us, therefore, be 
careful to construe this passage in such a manner as not to 
favour any unworthy views of Christianity. 

It is a maxim, in explaining Scripture, that one text must 
always be so construed, that other texts may stand. Let 
it, therefore, be noticed, that our Lord hath said to Chris- 
tians, " Ye are the salt of the earth, ye are the light of the 
world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid."* Did 
Christ and his Apostles speak favourably of the common 
practice of the world ? Our Saviour testified of it, that its 
works were evil ; and St. John affirmed, ^^ We know that 
* St. Matt. v. 13, 14. 



108 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness."* 
The precept ''judge nof cannot, therefore, mean, that 
Christians ought to judge favourably of the common jnaxims 
and conduct of the world. Let us beware then of this 
unchristian mode of interpreting the text. " He that justi- 
fieth the wicked," said Solomon, " and he that condemneth 
the just, even they both are abomination to the LoRD."t 

Let us now consider, whether sufficient force may not 
be given to the precept in question, without inclining to any 
dangerous interpretations of it. It may be considered as 
forbidding three things : first, a rash and hasty judgment ; 
secondly, a prejudiced and partial judgment ; and thirdly, 
a harsh and severe judgment. 

First, it forbids a rash judgment. How many decide on 
the character and conduct of their neighbour, before they 
have had the means of forming a tolerable opinion. They 
judge, before they have heard the cause. We should, first, 
examine and cross-examine : we should, then, weigh and 
deliberate; and, if the evidence be defective in any part, 
we should still suspend our judgment. He, who is in haste 
to determine, has not yet learnt one great rule of wisdom ; 
and one of the most important lessons of the Gospel. 

Secondly, this is a precept against partial judgment. We 
are all, more or less, prejudiced ! If a man, for instance, 
be of another nation, or of an opposite political party, or of 
a contrary sect in religion ; or if he be our rival in trade, 
or our opponent in any matter, how hard it is to judge fairly 
of his conduct. It should be the great care of Christians 
to divest themselves of partiality. Their ambition should 
be to rise in this respect above the world. Never let us 
join in the general abuse of some opposite and absent party, 
which makes a leading part of the conversation of many 
circles. Candour is an essential Christian virtue ; a point 
not sufficiently considered by many persons who are strict 
in other respects. " Judge not that ye be not judged:" — if 
you may judge uncandidly of others, have they not the 
* 1 St. John, V. 19. t Prov. xvii. 15. 



THE SERMOIN ON THE MOUNT. 109 

same right to judge uncandidly of you ? If you have your 
prejudices, why may they not be permitted to have theirs 1 

But, thirdly, a too severe judgment is also forbidden. 
We should consider the infirmity which is in man. We 
should allow for the force of particular temptations. We 
should reflect, that we may happen to be well informed 
respecting some sin of our neighbour, and to be totally 
unacquainted with the bitterness of his repentance on 
account of it. We should make a distinction between 
deliberate and allowed sin ; and that sin which is the effect 
of surprise : we should remember, that a man may possibly 
fall into great vices, through some sudden assault on his 
virtue ; who nevertheless, may be bent on following a 
religious course of life ; and may, on the whole, be in 
favour with God. 

The practice of inferring a man's general habit from 
some one particular act, and of deciding from a single cir- 
cumstance on the state of his soul, seems a grievous offence 
against this precept. It is a bad symptom of the state of 
their souls who presume to judge thus severely. 

To conclude ; let us, if we would avoid this sin of judg- 
ing others, reflect on the manner in which we ourselves 
hope to be judged : our minds are sufficiently fertile in 
inventing excuses for our own sin ; let us endeavour to be 
as ingenious in respect to the errors of others. Let us 
make for them the excuses which we expect that they shall 
make for us. Above all, let us reflect how merciful must 
be the manner in which we must be judged by God, in 
order to escape His condemnation. As we hope to find 
mercy, so let us show it ; for " with what judgment we 
judge, we shall be judged ; and with what measure we 
mete, it shall be measured to us again." 

K 



110 FAMILY COBIMENTARY ON 

XXXVII. 

ST. MATTHEW, VII. 3-5. 

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but con- 

siderest not the beam that is in thine own eye 1 
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, let me pull out the mote out of thine 

eye ; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye 1 
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye ; and then 

shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. 

Our Saviour here intimates, that they, who have a beam 
in their own eye, are commonly the most inclined to com- 
plain of the mote which is in their brother's eye. And 
does not our own observation justify this saying of Christ ? 
Who is it, that commonly passes the rashest and the severest 
sentence of condemnation? Is it not the wicked, the 
licentious, and the profane ? 

There is, indeed, one occasion, on which immoral per- 
sons give full scope to the severity of their tongue ; namely, 
where the person, whom they reproach, bears the character 
of a religious man. He, who is a sincere servant of God, 
resolved to lead a holy life, and to live no longer to himself, 
but to Him who hath died for us, must expect to be most 
harshly judged by the vain, the worldly minded, and the 
wicked. They will wait for his halting : — they will dwell, 
in their conversation, on some little incivility in his manner ; 
some impropriety in his speech ; some inattention to the 
decorum of life. If he should err from inadvertency, the 
mistake will be charged to design ; if from rashness, it 
vv^ill be ascribed to deliberate purpose of heart. A little 
warmth of temper, in such a man, will be called fury ; and 
any single sin, into which he may be surprised, will be 
considered as one only of a course of crimes ; and will be 



THE SERMON ON THE MOIJIST. Ill 

proclaimed as from the house-top. Rehgious persons are 
often charged with censuring the irreligious ; but it may 
safely be affirmed, that, in general, the saint is not so severe 
against the sinner, as the sinner is against the saint. 

Christ may properly be considered as here particularly 
reproving this disposition in wicked men to censure the 
pious. " Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of 
thine own eye ; and then, shalt thou see clearly to cast out 
the mote out of thy brother's eye." Thou, who art severe 
against the children of God, and strict to mark in them 
whatever is in the least amiss ; thou, who art, at the same 
time, thyself an unchaste person, an adulterer, a drunkard, 
an- unjust man in thy dealings, a despiser, a hinderer of 
God's word, " cast out, first, the beam out of thine own eye ; 
and, then, shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote that 
is in thy brother's eye." Thou, who knowest not God, 
and art the enemy of His Christ, — thou who art thyself 
sensual, and worldly, not having the Spirit, — presume not 
to judge him who is spiritual ; him, who is struggling with 
the burthen of his sins ; him who prays day and night for 
mercy ; him who trembles, through fear of offending God ; 
him whose soul is prostrate before the cross of his Saviour ; 
and who is exercising himself with a watchfulness, of 
which thou hast no conception, to preserve a conscience 
void of oflfence, both towards God, and towards man. Thou 
Pharisee, also, who makest clean the outside, only, of the 
cup, while corruption is within ; who art exact in outward 
forms of religion, while pride and impenitence are in thy 
heart ; thou, who boastest in thine own righteousness, 
while thy secret thoughts are full of wickedness ; judge 
not him, who, though less exact in some external observ- 
ances, and possibly also enjoying less reputation among 
men, is more truly turned to God, in the main bent of his 
heart. Thou self-deceiver, thou hypocrite, cast out, first, 
the beam out of thine own eye. Be converted from thy 
pride, thy self-sufficiency, thy superficial morality, thy false 
religion, and thy secret sin : then, shalt thou be able lo 



112 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

discern the errors, and to estimate the characters of the 
children of God ; having thus " cast out the beam out of 
thine own eye, then, shah thou see clearly to cast out the 
mote out of thy brother's eye." 



XXXVIII. 

ST. MATTHEW, VII. 6. 



Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls 
before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again 
and rend you. 

The word holy signifies sacred, or separated for religious 
uses. Among the Jews, certain meats were set apart for 
sacrifice, and for the service of the Temple. " Give not 
that which is holy to the dogs," would, therefore, seem to 
a Jew to mean, if literally interpreted, — cast not among the 
dogs that which is consecrated to the sacred uses of the 
Temple. It is added, " Neither cast ye your pearls before 
swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn 
again and rend you." A pearl is in itself of great value, 
though of no estimation in the eyes of swine. To cast 
pearls before swine is, therefore, to throw away that which 
is very valuable ; and, perhaps, also to provoke those, on 
whom we may think that we bestow a benefit. They may 
only turn again and rend us. A lesson of religious prudence 
is conveyed to us by these sayings of Christ : and it is 
this — that a rash and undiscriminating mode of presenting 
serious things ought to be avoided. If we speak freely on 
these subjects before the light, the sensual, and the profane, 
we may do to them no good ; and we may bring, — on our- 
selves, and on our cause, — much harm. It is to cast pearls 
before swine. It is to intrude upon them something, indeed, 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 113 

very valuable in itself, but of which the value will not be 
acknowledged. The result will be, that they will take 
offence, and become our enemies ; they will turn again, and 
rend us. There are some persons whom no reproof of 
ours is likely to amend. In such a case let us remember 
the caution given by our Lord : " Be ye wise as serpents," 
said He to His seventy disciples, as well as " harmless as 
doves."* It is recorded of himself, that, when He was in 
a place, where there existed a remarkable prejudice against 
Him, ^' He did not many mighty works there, because of 
their unbelief."t It is observable, also, that the seventy 
Disciples, when they were first sent forth, were command- 
ed to go not to any house which might accidentally be 
opened to them ; but to inquire, first, in every place, who 
was worthy, and to take up their abode with such person ; 
not going from house to house : and, if no persons resident 
in the place should receive them, they were instructed not 
to remain there ; but to cast off the dust of their feet upon 
them. 

This subject is applicable to our own time. Some per- 
sons among us seem to have only one maxim in religion ; 
and it is this — that religious truth cannot be too loudly, or 
generally declared. They Avould proclaim it in the street, 
in the market place, and from the house top, if a crowd of 
persons could but be brought to hear. In preaching the 
Gospel, they think that no decencies of time and place need 
be consulted. They profess to be willing to brave every 
danger in this cause ; but their forwardness is only the 
consequence of a naturally bold and ardent temper, of a 
temper which Christianity ought to correct and restrain. 
They are obtrusive in religion, in the same manner as on 
other subjects. 

This passage may be applied in a more general sense. 
It may, also, be applied, more literally, to those preachers 
who, by proclaiming the doctrines of the Gospel at unsuita- 
ble times and places, — by delivering their sermons, for 
* St. Matt. X. 16. t St. Matt. xiii. 58. 



114 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

example, in the streets of our cities, — render the Gospel 
ridiculous to the profane crowd which is passing by. They 
may also be said to cast their pearls before swine. They 
render the Gospel a subject of joke to the giddy, and of 
contempt and scorn to the profane ; who sometimes, also, 
may literally be said, to *' turn again and rend them." This 
ill usage possibly may be termed persecution. Let it, how- 
ever, be remembered, that Christ has given no direction 
or authority, to preach his precious truths to the world after 
this manner ; though, undoubtedly, in certain circumstances 
of the world, this mode of preaching may have been justifia- 
ble and even necessary. 

We may apply this passage however, more generally, to 
those who, in any respect, suffer their religious zeal to out- 
run their prudence ; to those, for example, who, unguard- 
edly, introduce religious conversation in mixed or profane 
company. The world unhappily is far from being generally 
Christian ; and the difficulty of introducing serious topics 
without offence into an ordinary society is but too plain a 
proof of this. Men being what they are, it is necessary 
in some circles to abstain entirely from serious topics ; 
and, in others, to handle them very cautiously, if we ven- 
ture to touch upon them. Let us not disdain this Christian 
prudence. We have the authority of Christ in favour of it. 

Let us not think that every religious word is good, be- 
cause it is religious. Let us pay regard to person, time, 
and place. Let us indeed introduce pious conversation 
where w^e can with propriety ; but let us not force it too 
much. Let us beware in particular of all singular, affected, 
and sectarian phrases. These convey little meaning to 
the irreligious hearer ; and yet they give him great offence. 

We are aware, indeed, that the lukewarm, the timid, and 
the time-serving, may avail themselves of this passage in 
order to justify a contrary extreme, — ^that of hazarding little, 
or nothing, in the cause of Christ. Let such persons be 
reminded, that there are occasions, when, unquestionably, 
the wicked should be plainly rebuked ; and that, even in 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 115 

large irreligious companies, it may chance to be the indis- 
pensable duty of a Christian openly to avow his difference 
from all around him, and his fidelity to the cause of Christ. 
Opportunities may also be adroitly seized of urging the most 
serious truths even on a crowd of unbelievers. St. Paul, 
when brought before king Agrippa, took occasion, though a 
prisoner at the bar, to preach concerning the faith of Christ ; 
and he must not be supposed to have cast his pearls before 
swine in this case. Paul well knew when to speak ; and 
when to be silent, or reserved. He was carried away by 
no violence, on the one hand ; he had no sinful fear of 
man, on the other. Free from prejudice himself, he knew 
how to manage the prejudices of others. " To the Jews I 
became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews ; to them that 
are without law, as without law, that I might gain them 
that are without law ; to the weak became I as weak, that 
I might gain the weak."* He was all things to all men, 
that by all means he might gain some. May we learn this 
spirit ! May we neither disguise our want of zeal by a 
pretended regard to prudence ; nor disregard prudence on 
the plea of an overflowing zeal. 

* I Corinth, ix. 20—22. 



116 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

XXXIX. 

ST. MATTHEW YII. 7—11. 



Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it 

shall be opened unto you : 
For every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh findeth ; and 

to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 
Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him 

a stone'? 
Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, 

how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things 

to them that ask him ] 



The Gospel is most encouraging in its nature. Y^hat 
can be more inviting than these sayings of Christ ? It is 
considered among men, that, if any one be assured of 
having that which he is disposed to ask ; if there be no 
doubt of his finding the thing which he seeks ; and if, after 
knocking at a door, it fail not to be opened to him ; this is 
as much as he can desire. By a like assurance of success, 
does our Saviour invite us to seek those spiritual blessings 
which are conveyed to us by the Gospel. " Ask, and it 
shall be given you ;" is one of the chief sayings of Christ; 
and it is here added, " For every one that asketh, re- 
ceiveth ; and he, that seeketh, findeth ; and to him, that 
knocketh, it shall be opened." 

But what is it exactly, that is intended by these several 
expressions ? To ask, that is, to ask of God, obviously 
means, to pray to Him ; and the promise, that, if we ask, 
we shall receive, signifies, that God will grant the things 
for which we pray ; it being here indeed presumed, that 
we chiefly ask that which we principally want, namely, 
spiritual blessings. 

The direction to seek, seems an instruction to use all the 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 117 

means of grace with due diligence and earnestness: " Seek, 
and ye shall find." This is a promise on the part of God, 
that the spiritual means, which we employ, shall infallibly 
produce, through His aid, their proper spiritual end. The 
phrase " knock, and it shall be opened unto you," is 
another expression to nearly the same purport ; it serves 
particularly to show the reasonableness of prayer, and of 
all other means of grace, and the unreasonableness of 
neglecting them. As a man wishing to enter into a house 
knocks at the door, and is not otherwise admitted; so, if 
we would be received into Christ's kingdom, we must 
knock, that is, we must apply, according to the proper 
mode, for admission. And as he who is now without, may 
remain for ever without, if he do not knock at the door into 
which he wishes to enter ; so may we remain for ever 
strangers to the blessings of the Gospel, if we do not seek, 
by prayer, and by the ordinary means of grace, to be ad- 
mitted. If we ask, we shall have ; but if we ask not, it is 
but reasonable that we should want the things most neces- 
sary to us. If we seek, we shall find ; but if we seek not, 
we shall not gain the treasure : and if we knock, it shall be 
opened to us ; but if we choose to take no means of enter- 
ing, we shall remain without for ever. It is added, " or 
what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will 
he give him a stone ; or if he ask a fish, will he give him 
a serpent ?" God here condescends to teach us His own 
willingness to hear our prayers, by referring to the willing- 
ness even of a common earthly parent, to grant the sup- 
plication of his children. Nay, the case is still stronger ; 
For " if ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts 
unto your children, how much more shall your Father, 
which is in heaven, give good things," (or as it is written 
in another place,) give His Holy Spirit — to them that ask 
him. 

Having thus explained the passage, let us make some 
observations upon it. And, first, let us expose the error of 
those who are ready to complain of the hardship of the 



118 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

Gospel. You think it hard perhaps to be required to re- 
nounce the world ; to mortify your passions and affections 
which are upon the earth ; and to attain the tempers and 
perform all the works required. You conceive of religion 
as of a hard service. But can that be properly called 
hard, which sufficient means are given us to accomplish ? 
The Gospel is a system of means most admirably adapted 
to their end. Its doctrines, when duly believed, lead 
naturally to the practice which is required. The Gospel 
undoubtedly has much in it which is hard for flesh and 
blood ; but we may observe, also, that it ceases to be hard, 
when a man has, by prayer, engaged on his side, the 
powerful help of God's Holy Spirit ; and this Spirit God 
is as ready to bestow, as a parent is to give bread to a child 
that cries to him. True hardship consists in toiling at that 
for which no sufficient strength is afforded ; in seeking that 
which we are without hope of finding ; or in knocking im- 
portunately at a door which no one is willing to open to us. 
True hardship consists in being required, like the Israel- 
ites under Pharaoh, to make bricks without straw; or in 
being required to produce the fruits of the Spirit, while God 
is unwilling to give to our supplications the help of that 
Spirit, by which alone they can be produced. 

This species of hardship is often experienced in the 
affairs of the present life ; the men of this world often toil 
for that which there is little hope of attaining. The beggar 
asks, and asks again for some miserable pittance, which, 
after all his earnestness, it is more than probable that he 
will not receive. The man, who pursues preferment, em- 
ploys all the means of obtaining it, though encouraged only 
by a faint hope. The covetous seek wealth ; and the am- 
bitious, honour ; animated by no certain knowledge that 
they shall obtain them. It is not thus in spiritual things. 
Christ here assures us, that the search after these shall 
infallibly be crowned with success. Let us then labour, 
having this hope. God demands that Ave should use the 
means, — means indeed which are suited to the very weak- 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 119 

ness of our state. To use them is our part ; it shall be 
His, to make them effectual to their end. 

But sonie will reply, " Is it not necessary that I should 
wait, till God inclines me to ask, to seek, and to knock ?" 
Has not Christ himself said, that " without me ye can do 
nothing ?"* And has not St. Paul also declared, that we 
are not " sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of 
ourselves : but our sufficiency is of God ?"t 

We say, in answer, as we have said before, let us take 
care so to interpret one text of Scripture, that other texts 
may stand. Our present business is chiefly with the pres- 
ent text ; and, therefore, it may be sufficient to remark in 
this place, that the passage before us breathes the very 
spirit of encouragement ; and that we, therefore, unques- 
tionably pervert it, if Ave deprive it of this spirit. How 
different are the plain unsophisticated precepts of Christ 
often found to be, from the same precepts with man's com- 
ment added to them. How clear and encouraging the one ! 
How perplexing and discouraging the other ! 

Is not this precept a direction to ask without hesitation 
or delay — without fear or distrust ? What can be plainer 
than the w^ords ? But you reply, " I suspect, that there is 
something ambiguous in them." Was Christ then an 
equivocator 1 Can you imagine, that He used terms en- 
couraging in their sound, and not in their real sense ; terms 
involving some hidden meaning, which defeats the plainer 
one, and renders this apparently precious promise of none 
effect : — terms which restrict to a few the encouragement 
apparently offered to all ? Let us beware of thus discred- 
iting Christ. He is best honoured when we believe His 
words in their natural and obvious sense, and venture our 
souls upon them. 

But it is not a cold and listless manner of seeking spiritual 

blessings which will suffice. A cold prayer, indeed, is no 

prayer ; and an idle search is no search. Our Saviour 

!5poke a parable to His disciples for the express purpose of 

* St. John XV. 5. t 2 Cor. iii. 5. 



120 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

teaching them that it was only by importunity in prayer 
that they were to prevail. " My son," said Solomon, *' if 
thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for 
understanding ; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest 
for her as for hid treasures ; then shalt thou understand the 
fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God."* May 
we then so call upon God, that we may be heard by Him. 
May we seek Him with all our hearts. Then shall we 
not fail to be made partakers of that Holy Spirit, which 
includes all spiritual blessings. 



XL. 

ST. MATTHEW, VH. 12. 

Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do 
ye even so to them : for this is the law and the prophets. 

This is one of the golden rules given us by Christ. It 
is a rule easy to be remembered, as well as to be understood; 
and it is applicable to a thousand cases. It comprehends, 
indeed, when taken in its most extensive sense, our whole 
duty to our neighbour. The law of the Jews consisted of 
two parts, the one regarding God ; the other, man. Duty 
to God is taught in the four first of the ten commandments ; 
and duty to our neighbour, in all the following ones. " On 
these two commandments," says Christ, in another place, 
" hang all the law and the prophets." And here He says, 
" For this is the law and the prophets." The duty of man 
to his neighbour, was the whole subject now under consid- 
eration. 

Let us proceed to explain the rule. " Whatsoever ye 
would that men should do unto you do ye even so 
UNTO them." The same rule is expressed in another place 
* Prov. ii. 3—5. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 121 

tlius : " Thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself."* Inor- 
dinate self-love is the great source of injustice. How 
universally does this prevail ! Who does not prefer his 
own interest, his own pleasure, his own honour, to that of 
other men ? When a man has these principles of inordi- 
nate self-love reigning in him, he will, of necessity, act 
unjustly, not in one instance, but in ten thousand : not in 
matters of property only ; but in questions of every kind 
between him and his neighbour. And while he commits 
all this wrong, he will be ignorant of it ; for self-love blinds 
the eyes : it makes that to seem just, which is utterly 
unjust ; and it makes many an act which is no more than 
equitable, appear to be a deed of exalted virtue and gen- 
erosity. 

How important is it, then, to possess a principle of equity 
for the heart, and not merely a code of rules for the exter- 
nal conduct. *'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as 
THYSELF." This is the great principle of Christian morality. 
Let us love our neighbour as ourselves ; and, then, we shall 
feel for him as for ourselves ; then, we shall do to others, 
as we would they should do to us. Indeed, he, who does 
generally to others, as he would that others should do to 
him, can hardly fail to love others as himself ; for love is 
the only principle which can secure so high a practice. 
" Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do 
ye even so unto them." Put yourself, then, in the place 
of your neighbour. Imagine yourself to be in ail respects 
in his condition, and him to be in yours ; and, then, ask 
yourself, How should I be likely to judge ? How much 
should I be disposed to claim? In doing this, we should 
enter into a variety of considerations. We should imagine 
ourselves, for instance, to have been educated under the 
same prejudices with our neighbour ; to be under his tempt- 
ations, subject to his natural infirmities, possessed of no 
more than his share of information, and accustomed to 
dwell among his circle of friends and acquaintance. We 
* St. Mark xii. 31. 
L 



122 FAMILY COMMEA'TARY ON 

should imagine ourselves pressed by the same want, which 
perhaps he feels ; or tempted by the same false friends, by 
whom he may possibly be deceived ; we should fancy our- 
selves in his situation, altogether, and not in part only. 

Let us consider this golden rule as applied to persons 
of various classes. And, first, if men in power were often 
to place themselves in the situation of those whom they 
govern, how great would be the advantage. How criminal 
would that ambition, then, appear, of which the object is 
to make- the king great and renowned at the expense of the 
happiness of the people I What sense of responsibility — 
what economy in every department — what a strict regard 
to all the interests of the poor — will be cultivated by a ruler 
who often places himself in the circumstances of the 
meanest of his people. And if the people would consider 
the temptations, as well as difficulties, which kings and 
ministers experience ; if they would reflect, how hard it is 
to please the many, and how impossible, to please all ; how 
provoking is a spirit of insubordination and discontent ; and 
how strong an incentive to new severities ; surely, they 
would learn more candour in judging their superiors, as 
well as more acquiescence and submission. 

Again, if masters would put themselves in the place of 
their servants, and would contemplate the trials of that 
more low and dependent state : — and if servants would ask 
themselves, what they, if they were masters, would be 
likely to require of a servant ? — if they would reflect, how 
blameable would seem to ihem, if they were masters, either 
the insolence, or the unfaithfulness, or the duplicity, or the 
sloth, or even the forgetfulness of a servant : — surely, then, 
each would be disposed to a more candid interpretation of 
the other's conduct, and to a stricter fulfilment of his own 
duty. 

So also, if parents and teachers would imagine them- 
selves in the place of the children who are subject to them : 
if, instead of measuring the faults of every child by the 
degree of inconvenience brought upon themselves, they 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 123 

they would divest themselves of this selfishness, and would 
make that allowance for the ignorance and heedlessness of 
youth, which they themselves would think reasonable, if 
they were children: — how different would be the judgment, 
respecting many of the errors of youth ; and how much 
milder often would be the punishment. And if children 
could be persuaded to reflect, how much pain a parent feels 
in seeing the stubbornness and disobedience, or the inat- 
tention and ingratitude, of his offspring ; and how much 
pleasure, in witnessing the contrary dispositions ; then 
children would learn to be more attentive and obedient. 

If the buyer and the seller would put themselves in the 
place of each other ; then, the fraud and iniquity of trade 
would cease. 

If all those, who possess power, would imagine them- 
selves to be in the condition of him who is subject to that 
powder ; if the slave owner would imagine himself the 
slave ; and the oppressor suppose himself the oppressed ; 
and would endeavour to do unto others whatsoever he would 
that others (if they were in his place) should do unto him ; 
how many millions of mankind would experience a ter- 
mination of their sufferings. 

Again, if all those, who are disposed to quarrel with 
their neighbours, if all the complaining and the censorious 
and the prejudiced, would be careful to put themselves in 
the place of the party whom they blame, before they allow 
themselves to utter any thing to his prejudice ; how would 
peace and harmony be promoted. How extensive is this 
precept of Christ, and how favourable to the happiness 
of the world ? 



124 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

XLI. 

ST. MATTHEW, VII. 13, 14. 

Enter ye in at the strait gate : for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, 
that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat : 

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto hfe, 
and few there be that find it. 

An expression of our Saviour, not unlike to this, is 
recorded in the 13th chapter of St. Luke. One of His dis- 
ciples having asked Him, '' Lord, are there few that be 
saved ?" He answered, " Strive to enter in at the strait 
gate ; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and 
shall not be able." It appears from these words, that 
Christ was disposed not so much to satisfy the curiosity 
of His disciples respecting others, as to direct them in the 
choice of that path which they were themselves to take. It 
is, as if He had said : the gate indeed is strait ; you are to 
know it by its straitness. Strive therefore, and strive 
earnestly, in order, that, however strait it may be, ye your- 
selves may not fail to enter in by it. Remember, also, that 
many deceive themselves on this important point ; many 
shall seek, or expect, on the Great Day, to enter into 
heaven, and shall not be able to find admission there. 

The words of our Saviour, in this passage which we 
have the more immediately to consider, evidently contain a 
very similar admonition. Let us proceed to apply the 
exhortation to ourselves ; and, in doing it, let us unite the 
meaning of the two texts. Many, it is to be feared, who 
live in the present day, iuiagine that they shall hereafter 
enter into heaven ; and shall not be able. And what is the 
source of this delusion ? Perhaps no circumstance con- 
tributes more to confirm men in the neglect of religion, than 
the sentiment, that they are as good as the multitude of 
their neighbours : and that this multitude cannot but be 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 125 

saved. How little is it now believed, that " strait is the 
gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and 
few there be few that find it I" The common sentiment is, 
that the many cannot go to destruction ; and that it would 
be injurious to the character of God, to suppose that He 
can condemn to punishment any great proportion of His 
creatures. To this opinion the words of the passage, — 
which we are now considering, as well as of that other 
text which we have quoted, — stand directly opposed. The 
plain truth is, that, if we can suppose even a single person 
to be justly punishable by God for his sins, and actually to 
be punished ; we may equally suppose others to be punished 
in like manner, without the least regard to the circumstance 
of their being either many or few, if, by like sins and like 
impenitence, they shall have made themselves obnoxious 
to like punishment. It may be asked, — " might not the 
saying of Christ in the text be confined to the age of the 
apostles ? may there not be at least some hope, that it ap- 
plies not in its full force to our own age, country, place of 
residence, and circle of friends and acquaintance ?" Un- 
doubtedly, this is a subject for fair examination. Let every 
one, therefore, consider the character and manners of the 
age, into which he is cast, and of the particular circle in 
which he moves. Let him, however, do this, not forming 
his judgment of what is necessary to salvation from the 
ordinary or average practice of his neighbours — the error 
into which most men fall — but from those Holy Scriptures 
in which he professes to believe. Let him, in the true 
spirit of solemn and serious inquiry, take the New Testa- 
ment into his hand. Let him run over those marks of true 
discipleship, which are laid down in that sermon of our 
Saviour which we are considering : and will he not be 
constrained, though reluctantly, to own, that the saying of 
the text is but too obviously applicable to the present age, 
if we make Scripture our rule of judging ? " Cast your 
eyes," says a late pious writer, " for one moment, upon the 
state of your town or village, or of the neighbourhood where 



126 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

you live. Select now the best reputed character of your 
circle : you may mark, perhaps, the accomplished noble- 
man, the hospitable and friendly gentleman, the fair and 
civil tradesman, the diligent and expert mechanic, the in- 
dustrious farmer, and the honest labourer ; but how rarely 
can you superadd to these the forgotten character of a 
Christian ! The highest character, which is commonly 
aspired after, is to be a man fair in his dealings, complying 
in his manner, courteous, hospitable, and generous, and of 
similar popular and self-rewarding virtues. Let us, then," 
he adds, - with the deepest humility, and the most aftection- 
ate thankfulness, take the New Testament into our hands ; 
and exauiine it as we would any other record, or writing, 
on which our greatest interests depended. Let us examine 
what those works are, which are required of us in the 
Christian vocation. For let public manners be what they 
will, Christianity is the same to-day that it was in the days 
of the Apostles ; the same terms are proposed, the same 
practice is expected." The evil of the present day is, not 
only that men do not believe the awful words of Christ in 
this passage in their strictest interpretation, but, that they 
do not at all, and in any sense, believe them. This 
Scripture (like other Scriptures which contradict their pre- 
judices and inclinations) is of no authority. Men even 
reverse the passage before us ; and, while they confess, 
perhaps, that neither they nor their friends attain to that 
standard, which they in some degree perceive to be accord- 
ing to Scripture, they comfort themselves by an opinion 
formed in direct opposition to this text ;— that, because they 
and their party are so numerous, therefore their numbers 
shall save them. They reverse the passage, and say " wide 
is, and must be, the gate ; and broad must be the way, 
which leadeth to life ; and they must be the many who go 
m thereat : and strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, 
which leadeth to death ; and we trust that few there he 
who find it." Thus, instead of taking warning from the 
wholesome words of Christ,— instead of suspecting them- 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 127 

selves to be in the wrong, because they resemble the 
many ; they choose the broad road, because it is broad ; 
perversely fancying, that the breadth of it is the mark, 
rather that it is the right path, than that it is the contrary. 
But let us tremble, if we are living, as others live ; if 
we are thinking, as others think ; if we are saying, as 
others say ; and doing, as others do. There are two 
parties in the world : there is a religious party, which is 
small ; whose ways are unpopular, and particular ; who 
differ from the common class of men ; who lead such a 
life of piety and strictness, that they are thought by the 
generality to carry things much too far. And there is 
another large and numerous party, who seem to them- 
selves, as if they were the whole world ; who are travel- 
ling securely through life ; who are not afraid of temptation ; 
who feel little dread of sin ; who meet with no spiritual 
difficulties, or troubles ; who, for the most part, follow natural 
inclinations ; to whom the example of other men forms the 
great rule of action, the world not being suspected of being 
an enemy. The very religion of such men is the customary 
religion. The foundation of their hope is the largeness of 
their body. " If we are not saved," say they, " a large part 
of the world must be condemned : and this it is impossible 
to admit, even for a moment, since God can never be so 
harsh as to condemn to punishment so great a portion of 
His creatures." On this ground, multitudes are content to 
build their expectations of happiness in eternity. " Christ," 
they say, '' died for us, and he v/ill surely save us ;" for- 
getting that the same Christ, in whose words they pretend 
to trust, is He who hath also said, that " strait is the gate, 
and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there 
be that find it." 

Now to which of these two parties do we belong ? To 
the large, or to the little flock ? " Fear not," says our Sa- 
viour, "little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to 
give you the kingdom."* " Take heed," said the apostle, 
* St Luke xii. 32. 



128 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

** that ye be not condemned with the world."* Noah was 
a just man in his generation : but Noah only and his family, 
out of all the multitude, who lived with him on the earth, 
found favour in the sight of God. At a later time, not ten 
righteous were to be found in a whole city. There was a 
period when only seven thousand men of all the kingdom 
of Israel refused to bow the kneel to Baal : and in the days 
of Christ, the whole multitude, both of teachers and of 
the people, set themselves against Him. Thus the histori- 
cal, as well the perceptive, part of Scripture warns us not 
to trust to this fatal and delusive argument of numbers. 
How, indeed, is reformation ever to begin in any one cor- 
rupted nation, sect, or party, or circle of persons, if the ciir- 
rent practice be to form the standard by which men are to 
judge of their acceptance at the bar of the Almighty ? 
The road to destruction will only cease to be that broad 
road, which it is here described to be, when men shall 
learn to take the word of God for their rule and the ground 
of their confidence ; and when they shall cease to think, 
that the circumstance of their numbers shall save them. 



XLII. 

ST. MATTHEW, VII. 15, 16. 

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but in- 
wardly they are ravening wolves. 

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or 
figs of thistles ] 

Our Saviour, when He said, " Beware of false pro- 
phets," had a particular eye no doubt to the Scribes and 
Pharisees ; whom, at another time. He termed hypocrites, 
and blind leaders of the blind ; which come to you he 

* 1 Corinth, xi. 32. 



THE SERMON ON THE IMOUNT. 129 

said, '' in sheep's clothing." The Pharisees made clean 
the outside ; they were, in appearance, harmless as sheep. 
The people did not suspect them of enmity to God ; or to 
His servants. They saw in them a remarkable scrupulosi- 
ty ; much outward sanctity ; great regard to the forms of 
religion ; and several other qualities, which were then likely 
to constitute respectability, in the eyes of superficial men. 
But though the Pharisees appeared to the people, in sheep's 
clothing ; yet, inwardly, they were ravening wolves. They 
were more opposed to the truth than any class of persons ; 
they were the chief antagonists of Christ, and of His fol- 
lowers. St. Paul, before his conversion, remarkably ex- 
emplified the practice of a Pharisee : touching the righte- 
ousness of the law, he was blameless ; yet he beyond 
measure persecuted the Church of God, and wasted it. 
But the precept of our Saviour, — to beware of false pro- 
phets, which should come in sheep's clothing, — ought not 
to be limited to the Pharisees. Many deceivers appeared 
in the first ages of the Church. The great apostle of the 
Gentiles remarks to the elders at Ephesus : " For I know 
this, that, after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in 
among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your ownselves 
shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away 
disciples after them."* And this expectation, — of the false 
prophets which should appear, — constituted a chief source 
of his anxiety ; " therefore watch," said he, " and remem- 
ber, that, by the space of three years, I ceased not to warn 
every one, night and day, with tears. "t The same apostle 
guarded the Corinthians against certain false apostles — de- 
ceitful workers transforming themselves into the apostles 
of Christ ; '' for Satan himself," he added, " is transformed 
into an angel of light. "J In his epistle to the Galatians,he 
complains of certain Judaizing teachers, by whom he had 
been supplanted in their esteem. St. Jude, also, in his 
epistle, speaks of certain men, who had crept in unawares, 
" turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness ; and 
♦ Acts XX. 29, 30. t Acts xx. 31. J 2 Corinth, xi. 13, 14. 



130 FAMILY COMMENTAKY ON 

denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."* 
They are, further, described as despising dominion ;t as 
" speaking evil of dignities ;"+ and as going " in the way 
of Cain ;" " and after the error of Balaam for reward ;" 
and as perishing in the " gainsaying of Core."§ We have 
made these several quotations from Scripture, in order to 
show, that the intrusion of false prophets or teachers into 
the church constituted one of the great evils of the first 
ages. Well, therefore, might our Saviour say to the peo- 
ple, " Beware of false prophets." But how was the simple 
multitude to distinguish the true prophets from the false ? 
" Ye shall know them," says Christ, " by their fruits. Do 
men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles ?"|| This is 
the great test by which the pretensions, both of public 
teachers, and of private Christians, are to be examined. 
Common sense, indeed, dictates this mode of judging : and 
there is often a remarkable agreement between the sayings 
of our Saviour and our own common sense. As the na- 
ture of a tree is known by its fruits, so is the nature of a 
man's religion. " Bring forth," said John the Baptist to 
the pretenders who gathered round him, " fruits meet for 
repentance."!! " I have chosen you, and ordained you," 
says Christ to his Apostles, *' that ye should go and 
bring forth fruit."** We are become dead to the law, says 
St. Paul, and joined or married to Christ, " that we should 
bring forth fruit unto GoD."tt In the time of the Reforma- 
tion, the mode of judging resorted to was that which is here 
recommended by Christ. The people perceived that the 
Reformers were a strict and self-denying people, while the 
body of the Popish priesthood were abominably corrupt. 
Undoubtedly the people in some measure compared the 
doctrines of the two parties ; but many of them judged, in 
a still greater degree, by a comparison of the lives of each. 
By their fruits, the true and the false prophets were then 

* St. Jude 4. t 2 St. Peter ii. 10. $ 2 St. Peter ii. 10. 

<^ St. Jude 11. II St. Matt. vii. 16. IF St. Matt. iii. 8. 

** St. John XV. 16. tt Rom. vii. 4. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 131 

known. And thus our Saviour's maxim was the means of 
guiding the multitude safely (even in a dark age) into the 
true paths ; and of re-establishing a more pure religion in 
the world. The precept reaches also to us ; and is of 
standing use in the church. " Beware of false prophets, 
who come to you in sheep's clothing." The multitude are 
always easily imposed upon ; those especially become 
dupes in matters of religion, who are not very religious 
themselves. 

There is a superstition, in whose eye the mere name, or 
dress, of a minister exhibits all the sanctity which is re- 
quired ; they reverence the robe, and the robe only. The 
Pharisees acquired much respect after this manner. Others 
require that to the sacred robe a little outward decency of 
character should be added. There is another class, who 
think that bold pretensions to inspiration, or apostleship ; 
that zeal, as ardent as that of Paul, and strong confidence, 
like his ; (though without his faith and love, his humility 
and patience, his gentleness and meekness, his prudence 
and wisdom, and discernment, and all his other graces,) 
are sufficient marks of a true prophet. But by their fruits, 
says Christ, they shall be known. Paul himself used 
often to appeal both to his doctrine ; and to his manner of 
life, conversation, faith, charity ; and he, by living among 
his converts, affi^rded to them an opportunity of being 
thoroughly acquainted with his character. " I have covet- 
ed," he said, " no man's silver, or gold, or apparel : yea, ye 
yourselves know, that these hands have ministered to my 
necessities.'"^ As he was foremost in authority and rank 
in the Church ; so also was he foremost in labours, in suf- 
ferings, and self-denials. To these, when competitors 
arose and endeavoured to undermine him, he was accus- 
tomed to make appeal ; insomuch that he sometimes would 
appear guilty of vanity, or at least of too much egotism ; if 
he had not pleaded the necessity for boasting, under which 
these false teachers had laid him. Ministers, in all ages, 
* Acts XX. 33, 34. 



132 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

must be content to be judged of, in the same manner with 
Paul the Apostle. By their fruits, they must be known ; 
and not by the clerical decencies of their appearance ; not 
by the mere profession of their faith ; not by the soundness 
of their preaching ; not by the regularity of their ordination 
only. If therefore, we would provide ourselves with means 
of judging, adapted to all ages of the church ; and if we 
would be preserved safe, in spite of the degeneracy both of 
ministers and people, let our rule be that of Christ. Let 
us judge our very teachers, by their fruits. On the one 
hand, indeed, we ought to reverence the office of a Chris- 
tian minister. St. Paul reverenced the office of High 
Priest ; and once testified his reverence, in a remarkable 
manner : but, on the other hand, let us be cautious, how 
we commit the instruction of our souls, respecting the way 
to eternal life, to men unacquainted with that way : to men, 
especially, who show, by their works, that they are of the 
number of those false prophets, against whom we are ex- 
pressly warned by Jesus Christ. Let it, moreover, be 
remembered, that ministers should be strict, with a truly 
Christian strictness ; that they should be humble and self- 
denying ; raised above the love of this world ; and above 
the fear of worldly persons ; given to much prayer, as well 
as to much exertion in the ministry ; alive to God, and 
spiritually-minded ; being of that " kingdom which is not 
of this world. "^ These are the virtues of a Christian 
minister ; and when these adorn the character, let us esteem 
the possessor of them, very highly in love, for his work's 
sake. It would tend much to the purification of the Chris- 
tian church, and to the rectification of its very doctrine, if 
private Christians would agree to judge of the excellencies 
of their ministers much more by their works (taking works 
in their large and scriptural sense) than they are accus- 
tomed to do. And it would be well, if ministers also would 
bear in mind, that it is neither parts nor learning, neither 
pulpit eloquence, nor any power of attracting a congrega- 
* St. John xviii. 36. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 133 

tion ; that it is neither a right understanding of doctrines, 
nor skill in interpreting prophecy, nor talent in explaining 
the more difficult parts of Scripture, nor knowledge of all 
the evidences of Christianity, nor rank and station in the 
Church, which constitutes their sufficient title to the minis- 
try. We know, from Scripture, that if a man should pos- 
sess even miraculous gifts, and yet be destitute of the one 
lasting grace of charity, he is but as " sounding brass, or a 
tinkling cymbaL"* 



XLIII. 

ST. MATTHEW VII. 17—20. 

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit ; but a corrupt tree 

bringeth forth evil fruit. 
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring 

forth good fruit. 
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast 

into the fire. 
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 

Our Saviour having instructed the people to beware of 
false prophets, having observed that by their fruits they 
should be known, adds, in these words, a general truth of 
great importance. " Every good tree bringeth forth good 
fruit ; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit :" that is, 
the nature of a tree is determined by its fruit ; a good tree 
yielding good fruit, and a bad tree being known by the bad 
fruit which it produces. 

This is the truth, which we are now to consider ; a truth, 
which seems plain and undeniable. Many men, neverthe- 
less, are far from adopting it, as a maxim of their religion. 

♦ 1 Corinth, xiii. 1. 
M 



134 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

The bad fruit of a tree is, indeed, willingly referred to the 
evil nature of the tree ; but is bad fruit in the life as readily 
charged to something bad in the heart ? How ready are 
most persons to say, even while they acknowledge their 
sins, that they trust, it was not any fault of the heart, which 
was the cause of them : not knowing that sin proceeds but 
from the heart. The heart is that fountain from which 
flows every thing that is either good or evil. This is the 
doctrine of our Saviour, — '' A good man," says Christ, 
*' out of the good treasures of the heart bringeth forth good 
things."* And again, " Out of the heart proceed evil 
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false- 
witness, blasphemies."! This, also, is the doctrine of 
reason and of common sense : though some, who have been 
denominated " rational divi?ies,^^ seem to teach the contrary. 
" It is true," say these teachers, " that most men are in fact 
corrupt ; but this corruption arises not from any thing wrong 
in the nature of man, but from external causes : the cor- 
ruption is accidental, adventitious, and superinduced. It 
results from a wrong education, from evil influence, from 
some particular temptation, and from bad example ; and not 
from any root of evil in the man, not from any evil nature, 
and a naturally bad heart. The heart," say they, " is natu- 
rally good ; though the life, we grant, is evil :" — that is, 
the tree is good, though the fruit brought forth be evil. 
How is it (it may be asked, in answer to the remark) that 
men are so easily turned aside by a bad education ; and are 
with so much difliculty restrained even by a good one ? are 
so ready to be operated upon by an evil influence ; so 
willingly yield to every temptation, and are so prone to 
follow a bad example ? How can this happen, unless there 
be a previous bias to evil ? Surely a disposition to commit 
some sin, as soon as any temptation to the sin shall offer 
itself, is an evil disposition ; and a heart and nature inclin- 
ed to corrupt indulgences, as soon as the several occasions 
of corrupt indulgence shall present themselves, may, with 
♦ St. Matt. xii. 35. f St. Matt. xv. 19. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 135 

great propriety of language, be called an evil nature, and 
an evil heart. 

To apply, then, to ourselves this saying of Christ : — 
Let us learn from it to consider the several sins of our 
lives, not as so many separate, insulated, and merely exter- 
nal, and incidental acts ; for if we do this, they will seem 
very slight and inconsiderable ; but as so many indications 
of an evil heart within, as so many concurring proofs that 
our very nature is corrupt. This is the light, in which 
Christianity teaches us that all our particular sins ought to 
be considered. We shall err grossly and fatally for our- 
selves, if we do not bear about with us this sentiment con- 
cerning them. When we reflect on a sin which we have 
committed, we should trace the sin to its source, namely, 
to the evil disposition of the heart. Thus it was that David 
did, when he was contemplating his peculiar sin in the 
matter of Uriah: " Behold," says he, (after confessing his 
particular guilt,) " I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did 
my mother conceive me."* He did not plead, that his 
crime was accidental, and the mere effect of temptation ; 
but while he is freely confessing his criminal act, he seems 
to be naturally conducted on to an acknowledgment, that 
the seeds of this sin had been in him from his birth ; and 
that the particular corruption, which he was deploring, was 
only one instance of the general corruption of his very na- 
ture. He, therefore, cries earnestly to God, and says, 
" create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right 
spirit within me."t This last expression of David declares, 
that since evil actions proceed from an evil heart, it is 
necessary, first, to make the heart good, if we would effect- 
ually reform the life. Make the tree good, said our Sav- 
iour, (in another place,) and then shall the fruit also be 
good. It was the error of the Pharisees, that they looked 
not to the heart, but only to the outward acts of the life : they 
minded not the motive from which an action sprung : and 
is there not among us the same error ? Do the generality 
♦ Psalm li. 5. t Psalm li. 10, 



136 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

of men, when they are considering the quality of an action, 
inquire whether the act be done in the true fear and love 
of God, and in obedience to the commands of Jesus 
Christ ? Do not men think it sufficient, if, either from 
pride, from emulation, from a regard to character, from fear 
of temporal punishment, or from a sense of worldly interest, 
benefits to society are produced ? It is but a scanty pro- 
duce, at the most, of useful works, which is obtained by 
the help of corrupt and secondary motives. Make the tree 
good ; and, then, shall the fruit also be good. Let the mind 
and heart be renovated ; and, then, shall there be abundant 
as well as right fruit, in the life. The man himself must 
be new made : there is an old man in us, which must be 
changed. " Put off,'^ says the Apostle, " the old man ; and 
put ye on the new man, which after God is created in 
righteousness and true holiness."* '* Be ye transformed by 
the renewing of your mind."t " Lie not one to another,"? 
says St. Paul ; and why ? Because lying is a shameful 
vice, or a very dreadful sin 1 No ; not on this ground only : 
but lie not, ye Christians, one to another, " seeing that ye 
have put off the old man with his deeds. "§ " For in Christ 
Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncir- 
cumcision, but a new creature."|| " Verily, verily, I say 
unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the 
kingdom of God ;"Tf for " that, which is born of the flesh, 
is flesh ; and that, which is born of the Spirit, is Spirit."** 
The renovation of the heart, or inward man, by the influ- 
ence of the Holy Spirit, or, in other words, the doctrine of 
regeneration, connects itself with the saying in the text. 
" Create and make in ns, O Lord, a new heart. Grant 
unto us, that thing, which by nature we cannot have. May 
we be baptized not with water only, but with the Holy 
Spirit : and having made us partakers of a new nature, 
help us to walk in newness of hfe." 

* Eph. iv. 22, 24. t Romans xii. 2. t Col. iii. 9. 

<^ Col. iii. 9. 1! Gal. vi. 15. f St. John iii. a 

** St. John iii. 6. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 137 

But, lastly, let us notice, also, that awful admonition, 
which is at the end of this passage, that '' every tree, that 
bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into 
the fire."* These are the same words which John the 
Baptist had before used ;t for our Saviour and the Baptist 
are in perfect unison with each other : they both thought, 
that the tree was to be known by its fruits ; and also that 
the corrupt tree was to be cut down, and cast into the fire. 
By their fruits, as was before shown, all are to be tried. 
By our fruits we ourselves are each of us to be known. 
May we then be able to stand this test ; and in particular, 
may we take care that our fruits are not merely a few of 
those easy and self-rewarding virtues which nominal Chris- 
tians, as well as unbelievers, are able to practise ; but that 
they are those true fruits of righteousness, which are, by 
Jesus Christ, to the praise and glory of God. 



XLIV. 

ST. MATTHEW, VII. 21. 

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king- 
dom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in 
heaven. 

There seems to be no subject on which men have occa- 
sion for more strong and reiterated warnings, than that of 
the danger of mistaking a profession of the Gospel, and an 
assent to it, for the faith which is at once practical and 
saving. 

The conclusion of our Saviour's Sermon on the Mount 
is made up of successive cautions on this head ; and, in 
* St. Matt. vii. 19. t St. Matt. iii. 10. 



138 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

another place, He says, " why call ye me. Lord, Lord, 
and do not the things which I say ;"* that is, " why do ye 
profess to take me for your Lord, when ye show that I 
am not your Lord, by not fulfilling the things which I re- 
quire of you?" Profession only binds a man the more to 
practice ; it cannot be permitted to stand in the place of 
practice. The attainment of heaven would be an easy 
thing indeed ; wide would be the gate, and broad would be 
the way ; if merely saying, " Lord, Lord," would suffice. 
That, which makes the gate so narrow, and causes so few 
to enter in, no doubt, is chiefly this ;— that they alone can 
be permitted to enter into heaven, who do the will of their 
Father which is in heaven. 

We shall consider this passage, first, as it respected the 
persons to whom it was immediately addressed ; and, then, 
as applying also to modern Christians. 

Among the multitude, who gathered round our Saviour, 
there were many who lent a favourable ear to His preach- 
ing ; and nevertheless, were not of that "little flock,"t to 
whom only He promised the kingdom. There was much 
m the character, as well as sayings of Cjirist, which was 
calculated to attract the notice of the Jews. They were 
now expecting a Messiah : and Christ professed himself 
to be that Personage. They saw Him work miracles, in 
proof of His mission ; and these were chiefly miracles of 
mercy, which would be likely to produce a strong prepos- 
session in His favour. He taught truths, which could not 
fail to be interesting to their minds ; He spake much of a 
new Kingdom, of heaven ; He attacked the religious senti- 
ments of the age ; inveighed against the character, as well 
as doctrine, of the priests ; delivered a variety of striking 
parables ; and appealed to the common sense, and feelings, 
and natural consciences of His hearers. We, therefore, 
cannot wonder, that many gathered round Him. Among 
these, there would be not a few light and inconstant hearers, 
who might agree for the moment, but who, afterwards, pes- 
♦ St. Luke vi. 46. f St. Luke xii. 32. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 139 

sibly might make part of that multitude, which cried, '* Cru- 
cify Him, Crucify Him." 

It is likely, that there would be many who would go 
much further than these ; many who would hear Christ 
with attention, and respect, and with a prejudice in His 
favour ; who would be ready to rank themselves among the 
most faithful of His followers ; who would be eager in 
making comparisons between Christ and his enemies, the 
most honourable to Christ ; who would extol His charac- 
ter, admire His sayings, and be forward in his cause ; and 
who, in a word, would come short in nothing, except in ful- 
tilling the things which He commanded them. 

Our Saviour, in the close of His Sermon on the Mount, 
makes a very close application of it to all His self-deluding 
followers. He had, just before, warned them against false 
teachers ; whom, said He, ye shall know by their fruits : 
and He now bids them use the same test for themselves. 

The term " doeth the will of my Father which is in 
heaven,"* is certainly not to be understood in the strictest 
sense which it will bear : for w^e are told, that " there is 
not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth 
not ;"f and it is one design of this very Sermon on the 
Mount, which remarkably exhibits the strictness of the Law 
of God, to show to us our own violations of it ; and thus to 
prove, that it is mere mercy which must save us. 

There is, however, a real disposition to unreserved obe- 
dience, and an actual attainment of some good measure of 
it, to which it is a main intention of the Gospel that we 
should be brought : and, unless we arriA^e at this point, the 
Scripture teaches us, in divers places, that we must beware 
of thinking that we are accepted by God : for " he, that 
doeth righteousness," says the apostle, " is righteous ;"J 
and, again, " Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers 
only ; deceiving your ownselves."§ 

The term " will of God" has a very broad signification. 

♦ St. Matt. vii. 21. t Eccles. vii. 20. 

t 1 St. John iii. 7. ^ St. James i. 22. 



140 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

It is sometimes extended in Scripture, even to that which 
we are to believe, as well as to all which we are to prac- 
tise. It is the will, the commandment, the work of God, 
" that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent." It often 
means general holiness ; thus, it is observed by an apostle, 
** for this is the will of God, even your sanctification."* 
The general sanctification of the human heart is that which 
God may be said to will ; and this is one very fair interpre- 
tation of the expression of the text. The Sermon on the 
Mount will itself explain to us, what it' *was that Christ 
meant, by the expression in this place : for He uses it with 
a reference to the several precepts and sayings which He 
had been just delivering. 

Let us, in the second place, apply this saying of Christ 
to the people of our own age and country. " Not every one 
that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king- 
dom of heaven ; but He that doeth the will of my Father 
which is in heaven. "f And, first, it may serve to reprove 
some who, — because they are not Atheists or Deists, but 
are professors of Christianity ; because they call Christ 
" Lord, Lord," in the slightest of all the senses in which 
the term can now be understood, — conclude, therefore, that 
they are members of the kingdom of heaven. 

An opinion has prevailed in modern times, that the mer- 
cies of Christ belong, of right, to all who are baptized and 
call themselves Christians ; with the exception only of 
those few persons by whom some extraordinary crimes 
have been committed. With a view to favour this opinion, 
some have given an unfair representation of the nature of 
baptism : they have described it not so much as the taking 
upon us of the profession of Christianity, and the receiving 
of the outward sign of an inward regeneration, but as alto- 
gether constituting regeneration itself. It may be asked of 
such persons ; — can all those, who have been baptized, and 
who profess Christianity, — with the exception only of a 
few profligates — be said to fulfil in any Scriptural sense 
* 1 These, iv. 3. f St. Matt. vii. 26. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 141 

the will of their Father which is in heaven ? Is it not 
clear, that many of them never even think of Scripture ; 
nor of that will of God which Scripture is intended to 
teach ? 

Others carry their profession of Christianity somewhat 
further. They profess to pay attention to the Scriptural 
precepts ; and thus to do the will of their heavenly Father. 
The persons, however, of whom I now speak, by no means 
understand the will of God aright. They interpret Scrip- 
ture carelessly and loosely. They are apt, on the one 
hand, to weaken its doctrines ; while, on the other, they 
also lower the practical part. They reduce, especially, 
the spiritual sayings of Christ, in His Sermon on the 
Mount, to something which is easy for a worldly man to 
perform ; to something which may be attained without any 
fervent prayer to God, or any influence of His Holy Spirit ; 
to something, which may exist independently of the effica- 
cious faith of the Gospel ; to something, which, instead of 
amounting to the will of God, amounts to little more than 
the morality of infidels. 

But we must speak also of those, who are more zealous 
for the doctrines of the Gospel, and profess to be more 
strict in their interpretations of Scripture. There is in 
many of these (what belongs indeed to the very nature of 
man) a disposition to elude, in one way or other, the self- 
denying and practical part of religion. Their zeal for 
doctrine is of that kind which prevents their extending their 
attention sufficiently to practice. The fault of such persons 
is the converse to that of those, of whom I was before 
speaking. They were described as deceiving themselves, 
by imagining that they did the will of God, when they only 
did a few ordinary moral duties. Those, of whom I now 
speak, perceiving the mere morality of the others, and their 
inattention to doctrinal truths, run towards the contrary 
extreme — of rendering almost every text doctrinal ; and of 
discrediting what is practical in the instructions of their 
teachers, by giving to it the name of "moraL" 



142 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

To some persons of this class the practical interpretation 
even of a practical text gives dissatisfaction, if not offence. 
It has happened, that the whole Sermon on the Mount, 
while its spirituality has been overlooked by some, has, by 
others, been represented as a mere description of the 
severity of the law, and as serving only to lay a foundation 
for the doctrine of justification by faith. It has scarcely 
been at all considered by these persons, as conveying any 
direct exhortation to practice ; a mode of treating those 
many practical pages, which must seem surprising to every 
plain Christian, who is unacquainted with doctrinal dispute. 
How completely practical, above all, is that text which we 
are now considering. " Not every one, that saith unto me, 
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven ; but 
he, that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven.'** 
Surely we shall find it hard to elude that obligation to do, 
under which our Saviour has laid us by His expression in 
this place. 

Let us, then, beware of this error. Let us not, — under 
the idea that the faith of the Gospel is of itself to produce 
obedience, — refuse attention to obedience ; or be sparing 
in our pains to become acquainted with any branch of 
practice. Let us fear, lest, too much neglecting the sundry 
precepts of Christ and His apostles, we should adopt, in 
their stead, the uncertain dictates of our own feelings, and 
imaginations, or the strictnesses of our own narrow sect ; 
and lest we thus substitute the morality of men, in the place 
of the true graces of the Gospel. 

It has happened from this cause, that many persons, who 
are strict in some particulars, have been greatly defective 
in others. In particular, there is a meekness, and candour ; 
a disposition to judge ourselves, rather than our neighbour ; 
a modesty, and humility ; and an exact uprightness, and 
integrity in doing to others as we would they should do 
unto us ; to which some, who are well instructed in doc- 
trine, do not attain : and in which our Saviour's Sermon 
*St. Matt. vii. 21. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 143 

on the Mount would instruct them, if they would give a 
practical attention to it. 

But there are several other classes, of whom we would 
also briefly speak. 

Some are enthusiasts. They have seen visions and 
revelations of the Lord. All is miraculous in their religioH. 
Some of these persons are often seen evidently to fail in 
doing the will of their Father which is in Heaven. There 
is a sober performance of all the duties of life, and a 
prudent and careful abstinence from sin, which as much 
form a part of the will of God, as the most spiritual 
exercises. 

Others, again, speak only of faith. They seem able to 
believe every thing. They appropriate to themselves all 
the promises of the Bible ; though no fruit of holiness be 
to be seen in them : they substitute, in the place of faith in 
Christ, an unbounded confidence in their own particular 
salvation : they call Christ, " Lord, Lord ;" but do not 
the will of their Father which is in Heaven. Many are 
the ways in which men deceive themselves, so as to forget 
the plain and practical nature of the Gospel. 

A few, by too much confining their attention to the cor- 
ruption which is in man, and too little admitting the readi- 
ness of God, for Christ's sake, to give us grace to save 
us, are led to mourn over their depravity, rather than to 
oppose it. Theirs is a barren wish for holiness ; rather 
than the actual attainment of it. Their religion consists in 
profession, and in words ; or in sighs, and in tears, and in 
sorrowful complaining of themselves ; rather than in real 
action, and practice. 

Let us make due allowance for the various kmds of 
human infirmity : nevertheless, let us not fail to remember, 
and insist, that, after all, this is the test by which men 
of every sect, character, and opinions, must be tried : — 
" Not every one, that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall 
enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he, that doeth the 
will of my Father which is in heaven." 



144 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

Small as our fruits of holiness may be, yet some fruits 
must be brought forth ; or we never shall be saved. 

Religion must appear in the life ; it should not altogether 
be hid in the heart. External works, indeed, which pro- 
ceed from a false motive, avail nothing. To do these only, 
rs not to do the will of our Father which is in Heaven. 

There are, however, new dispositions to be attained, new 
habits to be learned, new victories over sin to be achieved 
by every Christian ; for, " if any man be in Christ, he is a 
new creature ; old things are passed away ; behold, all 
things are become new."* 

" Be ye, therefore, doers of the word, and not hearers 
only." Trust not to your being the followers of some true 
minister of the Gospel ; nor to the delight which you may 
feel in hearing him. MuUitudes, as has already been 
stated, heard Christ with pleasure, while He preached to 
them from the Mount; who were, afterwards, condemned, 
because they did not the things which he commanded them. 
He warned them, towards the end of His discourse, again 
and again, on this great subject. Let this text, then, be 
continually sounding in your ears ; let it recur to us at the 
end of every sermon which we hear ; — " Not every one 
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the king- 
dom of heaven ; but he, that doeth the will of my Father 
which is in Heaven." 

* 2 Corinth, v. 17. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 145 

XLV. 

ST. MATTHEW, VII. 22, 23. 

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in 
thy name 1 and in thy name have cast out devils 1 and in thy name 
done many wonderful works 1 

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you : depart from me, 
ye that work iniquity. 

The Apostles, and first preachers of Christianity, were 
endowed with the power of working various miracles ; in the 
name of Jesus of Nazareth, they were able to make the 
blind to see, and the lame to walk ; and they even raised 
the dead. They, also, byjtheir word, cast out devils. We 
learn however, from this passage, as well as from some others, 
that all these miraculous gifts were not to be accounted as 
any proof that the soul of the possessor of them should be 
saved: for the invariable doctrine of Scripture is, that, 
when the Day of Judgment shall come, the point to be 
inquired, respecting every individual, will be not, whether 
he had wrought miracles ; not, whether he had cast out 
devils ; not, whether he had done in the name of Christ 
many wonderful works ; but whether he had been a worker 
of iniquity. The division of mankind, on that day, will be 
— into holy and unholy — into righteous and wicked — into 
those who were doers of the word, and those who were 
hearers only. The worker of miracles, who lived in his 
iniquity, shall then perish with the multitude of the un- 
godly ; and if the man, whom God Himself had thus gifted, 
shall be condemned for being a sinner, what sinner shall 
escape ? However men may plead their familiarity with 
Christ, or the great things which they have done in His 
name ; however confidently they may come and claim His 
salvation, however numerous, also, such persons may be ; 
yet He will deny them before the assembled world : for 

N 



146 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

there shall be but one reply to all the multitude of the 
wicked, — " I never knew you ; depart from me ye that 
work iniquity."* 

Such is the meaning of the words before us. Let us 
now extend in some degree their signification ; for the sake 
of applying them the better to the times iu which we live. 
Miracles have now ceased. We are in no danger of 
pleading, on the day of judgment, our performance of these 
as a testimony that we were friends and followers of 
Christ. There are, however, many other grounds of false 
confidence and hope, on which we may build. And first, 
there is a general danger, lest men should trust in their 
gifts and talents ; rather than in their Christian virtues and 
graces, as an evidence of their title to heaven. 

It is hard, perhaps, for some people to avoid entertaining 
religious hope on account of these. The preacher, for 
instance, who has great powers of eloquence ; who can 
move at his will the affections of his audience ; who can 
alarm their souls, with the fear of Hell ; can charm them 
with the description of Heaven ; can present to them a 
just and lively view of the dreadful nature, and conse- 
quences, of sin ; who, perhaps, has really converted many 
souls to God, and has witnessed this fruit of his labours; 
finds it hard to persuade himself, that all these are no suf- 
ficient evidence, that his own soul shall be saved. Has ' 
the preacher himself learned not to do iniquity ? That will 
be the question on the great day. The test will be the 
same for the high, and for the low ; for the man of talents, 
and for him who had the meanest parts ; for the author, 
who edified half a nation by his writings ; for the minister 
who converted thousands by his preaching ; and for every 
individual among the people : and to all, in all ranks, and 
in all ages, who, tried by that test, are found wanting, 
Christ will say, " Depart from me, ye that work iniquity." 
Again, others trust to a certain zeal for the Gospel ; and 
to some exertions which they have made, or trouble, which 
* St. Matt. vii. 23. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 147 

they have taken, in the cause ; and this is their evidence 
of salvation. They have subscribed, and perhaps largely, 
to the propagation of the Gospel in foreign parts : they 
have been peculiarly forward in promoting the salvation of 
the poOr heathen : or, what is much more, they have them- 
selves gone forth with the name of Jesus in their mouths, 
as missionaries in the service : but have they left off to do 
iniquity ? Have they conquered the sins of their own 
hearts, — they, who go forth to contend against the sins of 
others ? We ask, not whether they are perfect; but only, 
whether their own tempers have been subdued ; their pride 
and vanity, brought down ; and their passions regulated in 
that degree, which the word of God shows to be necessary 
in every real Christian? Have they learnt, each to take 
the lowest place ; to do nothing through strife and vain 
glory ; and to esteem others better than themselves ? Have 
they attained to the self-denial of a disciple ; as well as to 
the spirit of peace, harmony, and love. It is not one great 
act, which determines a man to be a true disciple of 
Christ ; so much as his daily and hourly temper and con- 
duct. Let them not think, that some one heroic deed is 
all, which is necessary to prove that they are sanctified by 
God's Spirit. It is by the daily and hourly acts which 
they perform, and by the general tempers which they 
evince, that their real sanctification is to be known. It is 
not a pilgrimage made once in a man's life, like that of the 
Mahometan to Mecca ; it is not a Crusade to the Holy 
Land ; it is not an ebullition of zeal to go forth in these 
days as a missionary to the heathen ; which is a sufficient 
evidence of discipleship. Many shall trust on the Day of 
Judgment to some great thing, which they have achieved 
in the cause of Christ ; who shall then be condemned on 
account of their having never been cleansed from their 
own iniquity. Many will have laboured, as they will plead, 
to save others, who themselves shall not be saved ; for 
nothing can stand in the stead of that sanctification of a 
man's own heart, which the Scriptures describe as neces- 



148 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

sary ; no religious language in tlie mouth ; no gifts, or 
talents of the mind ; no confident hope of Heaven, in the 
imagination ; no zeal to go forth in order to convert others ; — 
for " without holiness no man shall see the Lord."* " Not 
every one, that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the 
kingdom of Heaven : but he, that doeth the will of my 
Father which is in Heaven. Many will say to me in that 
day. Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name ? 
and in Thy name have cast out devils ? and in Thy name 
have done many wonderful works ? And then will I pro- 
fess unto them, 1 never knew you ; depart from me, ye that 
work iniquity."! 

Again, lastly, there are some, perhaps, who trust to a 
general exemplariness in their lives, and the great useful- 
ness of their conduct; while, nevertheless, some allowed 
sin is lived in. Such persons betray a total unsoundness 
in their heart. A man may found hospitals ; may establish 
seminaries of learriing, or of religion ; may build Churches ; 
may take the lead in all useful institutions ; and yet be 
nothing. He may do all this, in order to still his con- 
science, which would otherwise trouble him on account of 
his living in some secret iniquity. Though we should sup- 
pose a man to be engaged in saving an empire from ruin ; 
and to be celebrated as the greatest patriot of his age ; and 
as the best supporter both of the religion, and liberties, of 
his country ; still, if he live in habitual iniquity, if, amidst 
all those public deeds, by which he acquires a just renown, 
he should be, in the sight of God, a secret sinner; — 
unquestionably, the sentence in this passage is directed 
against him, as much as against more known, and obvious, 
and gross offenders : " I never knew you, depart from me, 
ye that work iniquity." For, " many, that are first, shall be 
last ; and the last shall be first ;"| " for many be called^ 
but few chosen."§ 

* Heb. xii. 14. f St. Matt. vii. 21, 22, 23. 

t St. Matt. xix. 30. <J St. Matt. xx. 16. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 149 

XLVL 

ST. MATTHEW, VII. 24—29. 

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I 

will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock : 
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and 

beat upon that house ; and it fell not : for it was founded upon a rock. 
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, 

shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the 

sand : 
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and 

beat upon that house ; and it fell : and great was the fall of it. 
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people 

were astonished at his doctrine : 
For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 

PART I. 

Our Saviour thus ends His Sermon on the Mount. He 
had had many hearers : and they seem not to have disap- 
proved of His sayings ; for all which is observed upon the 
subject is, that " the people were astonished at his doctrine ; 
for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the 
Scribes." 

There are many parts of Scripture which show that a 
mere disposition to hear religious truths is very far from 
being a clear proof of true religion. In the parable of the 
sower, our Saviour speaks of no less than four sorts of 
hearers ; only one of which is represented as hearing to 
good effect. Instances also abound, in the historical part 
of the New Testament, of persons sufficiently willing to 
hear, who were irreligious characters. Multitudes went 
to hear John the Baptist, in the wilderness ; who were 
described by him, as continuing in a state of utter impeni- 
tence. Herod, also, heard John the Baptist, " gladly ;" yet, 
at a subsequent period, he put him to death. It is more 



150 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

than probable, as already intimated, that many of that mul- 
titude, which heard Christ's Sermon on the Mount, made 
afterwards a part of that other multitude which thought it 
not fit that He should live ; and cried out, " Not this man, 
but Barrabas."* 

There was a certain time, during which the great body 
of our Saviour's hearers were very far from feeling any 
offence ; they often seemed to take part with Christ. They 
gazed at His miracles ; and, while admiring them, they 
were disposed (as is the common way of the multitude) to 
extend their praise to every one of His sayings, and every 
one of His acts. They said, " He hath done all things 
well : He maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to 
speak. "t But the change, which soon followed in the dis- 
position of the people, plainly shows, that, at the time, 
when they appeared to be the partizans of Christ, and 
were the willing hearers of his Gospel, they by no means 
entered into the true nature of it. They neither perceived 
what sacrifices the real followers of Christ would have to 
make ; nor what loss of reputation, to incur ; nor what 
worldly interests, to risk ; nor what self-denials, to exercise ; 
nor what persecutions, to endure. All this, indeed, was 
implied, and more than implied, in that Sermon on the 
Mount, to which they had given car ; but many of them 
heard it, probably, in that loose and careless way, which 
renders even the plainest and most searching discourse, of 
no effect. Others of them might admit the general truths ; 
and neglect self-application of them. Others might apply 
them, but apply them carelessly ; and, because they already 
practised some part of the precepts which they had heard, 
or something like them, might too easily assume, that they 
did as much as was strictly necessary : and not a few 
might mistake their own transitor}' approbation of what 
was spoken, for a disposition to pay steady and actual obe- 
dience to it ; not considering, that to approve is one thing ; 
and to do that, which we approve, is often quite another. 
♦ St. John xviii. 4a t St. Mark vii. 37. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 151 

It is worthy of notice, that, when our Saviour, on one 
occasion, instead of declaring only the general tempers 
necessary in His disciples, required of a young man, who 
came to hear Him, a specific act of self-denial ; the indi- 
vidual in question, though he had come in the very character 
of a learner, ceased to follow Christ. And " what lack I 
yet ?"* said this young man to our Saviour. And " Jesus 
said unto him ; If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell all that 
thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have trea- 
sure in heaven ; and come and follow me : but when the 
young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful ; for 
he had great possessions."! 

Our Saviour is represented to have taken many means 
of deterring men from making that hasty profession of His 
gospel, to which they were inclined. He was not ambitious 
to draw a crowd about His person ; or to speak to a large 
auditory; or, by the addition of a certain portion of super- 
ficial followers, to swell the numbers of His sect. He 
warned His hearers to count the cost, before they pre- 
tended to become His disciples ; and to beware, lest they 
should incur the shame which belongs to him who begins 
to build a tower, and is not able to finish it. It may be 
proper here, also, to remark, that one of the most pointed 
charges brought by Christ, and His Apostles against the 
Jewish nation — that nation, which, on account of sinful- 
ness, was now about to be cast off — seems to have been, 
that of having become mere hearers of their law, instead 
of doers of it. " A certain man," said our Saviour, "had 
two sons ; and he came to the first," ( that is, to the 
Gentiles) " and said, Go, work to-day in my vineyard ; and 
he answered and said, I will not : but afterward he repented, 
and went. And he came to the second," (meaning the 
nation of the Jews) " and said likewise : and he answered 
and said, I go, sir ; and went not."| That is, the Gentiles 
repented at last, and really paid that obedience to God, 
which his former professing people, the Jews, had only 
* St. Matt. xix. 20. t St. Matt. xix. 31, 32. t St. Matt. xxi. 28—30. 



152 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

pretended to pay. Our Saviour, also, takes notice of the 
same indisposition to attend to practice, in the Pharisees. 
** Whatsoever they bid you observe," said Christ to some 
of his followers, *' that observe and do ; but do not ye after 
their works ; for they say, and do not."* Moreover the 
apostle Paul, in the beginning of his Epistle to the Romans, 
when summing up his heavy charge against the Jews, 
dwells particularly on their disposition to hear their law, as 
well as to become teachers of it to others, while they paid 
no obedience to it themselves. " Thou, therefore," says 
he, " which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? 
Thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou 
steal ? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, 
dost thou commit adultery ? For the name of God is 
blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is writ- 
ten."! And it is partly in the same spirit, that he said to 
them, before : " For not the hearers of the law are just be- 
fore God ; but the doers of the law shall be justified. "J 



XLVII. 

ST. MATTHEW, VII. 24—29. 
SAME SUBJECT.— PART II. 

The Scriptures, then, let it be remembered, repeatedly 
guard us against that disposition, which there is in man, to 
betake himself to a religion which consists merely in talk- 
ing, or in hearing ; or, in some way, stops short of real 
practice. 

Let us now proceed to show, how this subject applies it- 
self to the present age. It is obvious to any person of dis- 
cernment, that the world now abounds with persons who 
can read and admire religious books ; and can hear and ap- 
* Rom. ii. 13. t Rom. ii. 21, 22, 24. * Rom ii. 13. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 153 

prove very religious Sermons ; and yet, in their own lives, 
are irreligious. And it is important, both that such persons 
should themselves be reproved ; and that others should be 
guarded against complimenting men of this class for their 
religion ; and thus encouraging their delusion. 

The causes, which now lead them thus to hear and ap- 
prove, what, nevertheless, they will not practise, are, in 
part, no doubt, the same as those to which we have already 
adverted. Sometimes, men are prejudiced in favour of a 
book or a sermon, by some high idea which they happen 
10 have conceived of the writer or of the preacher, either in 
respect to his religious wisdom, and orthodoxy ; or to his 
humanity, and benevolence ; or to his learning, and talents ; 
or to his rank and estimation, in the world, or in the 
Church: — just as the multitude were disposed, atone time, 
to favour the preaching of Christ, through that high idea 
of His character, with which His miracles had just before 
inspired them. For men do not choose suddenly to find 
fault with him, whom they have been lately led to praise ; 
and under whose banners they have recently been enlisted. 

Again, there are also many now, perhaps, as there were 
formerly, who both hear, and read, what relates to religious 
subjects, with a degree of carelessness and inattention, as 
well as of dulness and ignorance, which are almost incon- 
ceivable ; and which are only to be accounted for, by the 
unconcern in which they live in respect to their souls. 
But we ought here to speak, more particularly, of that class 
of persons, who have both an ear to hear, and a tongue to 
speak, concerning religion, and seem in some serious way 
to receive the Gospel ; but are by no means prepared to 
follow up those doctrines to which they assent, into all their 
practical consequences. Some of these persons not only 
profess the Gospel, and hear it, and speak of it ; but they 
commend it also to others ; they extol the preacher of it ; 
and they put themselves forward as the most zealous mem- 
bers of his party : but they are not yet rightly aware, what 
new tempers they have to exercise ; what new trials, to 



154 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

encounter ; what new self-denials, to practise ; what new 
habits, to attain ; and, in short, what a completely new life 
they will have to lead ; if they embrace the true Gospel, 
as they profess to do. At present, they are perhaps eager 
for doctrine ; not understanding, if the doctrine be sound, 
how vast must be the change of practice. They fail, 
when a question arises respecting this, or the other, point 
of Christian conduct ; and perhaps, are now led so to inter- 
pret doctrine, or so to confine themselves to it under a 
shew of zeal for doctrinal truth, as to justify, or at least, in 
some degree to palliate, the lamentable deficiencies of their 
own temper and life. 

This class of persons, therefore, like many of Christ's 
hearers of old, may be compared to those, who begin to 
build a tower, but are not able to finish. For here, un- 
doubtedly, is the difficulty of the present day. It lies, not 
in hearing, as some seem to suppose, nor in agreeing to 
what is heard : it consists, not in adopting the very same 
.sentiments with the preacher, and in following him with 
eagertiess, as the multitude followed Christ. The diffi- 
culty is in doing. It consists both in receiving the doctrines 
practically, for that is the true way of believing them ; and 
also in following them up into all their proper consequences, 
in our own actual practice. Men should take care, indeed, 
in the first place, that the words, which they hear, are 
sound words ; that they are not the mere opinions of men, 
but the sayings of Christ ; but let not the care to hear 
certain tenets supersede all other care. Unbelievers, in- 
deed, have often reproached Christianity, for being a reli- 
gion which impressed certain speculative articles of faith ; 
while, to judge by the lives of its professors, it made no 
very great demands, in the way of practice. Christ, 
however, has given no ground for this observation of the 
unbelievers. He has not been defective in urging practi- 
cal duties : witness almost every part of His Sermon on the 
Mount. 

We say, indeed, that doctrine also is most important ; 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 155 

but, then, we also say, that doctrine rightly received is the 
sure and only foundation of all good practice. Let every 
zealot for doctrine, then, remember, that there is something 
new to he done, in consequence of every new truth, which 
he receives ; and that every doctrine, every precept, every 
mystery even of our faith, has its practical tendency, and 
its proper practical use. The preaching of modern minis- 
ters should, like that of Christ to the multitude, be so far 
practical as to have an evident tendency to convert men 
from their present practice ; or, if they have, in the main, 
been already thus converted, to make them still go on, 
examining and improving their practice, in a thousand par- 
ticulars. The ear to hear the minister should be a conse- 
quence of having a desire of this practical amendment in 
the heart. 



XLVIII. 

ST. MATTHEW, VII. 24—29. 

SAME SUBJECT.—PART III. 

In continuing the subject of these verses ; it must be 
borne in mind, that there is another large class, who have 
another way of deceiving themselves : they are practical 
in their ideas, both of morality and religion, and they take 
great credit for being so. But their sayings are not the 
sayings of Christ ; they are the sayings rather of the 
heathen moralist, or of the prudent man of this world : their 
morality does not amount to Christian morality ; nor their 
practice, to Christian practice. It may be useful to call 
to the recollection of such persons those Christian precepts 
which are contained in the Sermon on the Mount ; and to 
point out, in what manner a truly practical hearer of those 



156 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

sayings of our Lord would be likely to meditate upon 
them. 

" I perceive," he would say to himself, " that this new 
Prophet, who is come into the world, and has been working 
so many miracles, in proof of his Messiahship, delivers a 
far different doctrine from that to which we, Jews, have 
been accustomed. How many new truths have been taught 
us : truths also, which He declares, that we must reduce 
to practice ; for the conclusion of His Sermon has been one 
continued warning, that ive are not His real disciples, unless 
we do the things which He hath commanded. I pecreive, 
that the poverty of spirit, of which He hath spoken, must 
be truly felt by me ; that I must also know, what it is to 
hunger and thirst after righteousness ; that I must become 
meek and peaceable ; that I must be content to be very 
serious, and even to mourn for a while, if I may but be com- 
forted hereafter; that I must acquire a disposition to show 
mercy, to forgive injuries, to love even my enemies ; and 
patiently to bear such provocations as may be offered to 
me. I find, that I must also lend, and give away my sub- 
stance, with a large and liberal spirit. I learn, that I am 
no longer to do any thing, to be seen of men ; and that the 
whole fabric of my superficial and external virtue, which 
had been chiefly founded on a regard to character with my 
fellow creatures, must be pulled down, in order that it may 
be succeeded by a principle of real purity in my very heart. 
How utterly have I mistaken that law of God, to which I 
had been fancying that I paid obedience. 

** I now understand, that the law requires me, not only not 
to kill, but not to be so much as angry, without a cause : — not 
on not to perjure myself, but not even to use an expression 
which implies want of reverence towards God ; not only not 
to commit adultery, but not to indulge an unchaste idea, in my 
imagination. I find, also, that, if I become a follower of this 
Jesus, I am to expect persecution for righteousness' sake. T 
have been informed that my prayers, instead of being offered 
up, only or chiefly , in public, and consisting of vain repetitions. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 157 

must be put up daily in my secret chamber, and out of a 
pure and forgiving heart, for the pardon of my sins, and 
for the supply of the perpetually returning wants — both of 
my body, and of my soul. By this heavenly teacher I have 
also been instructed, that I must no longer lay up treasure 
in this world ; and that, if I hope to have a treasure in 
heaven, my heart must be there also : that, so elevated 
must be my mind above earthly things, that I must lay aside 
all that multitude of anxieties by which I have been trou- 
bled ; that I must not be careful even for my necessary 
food and clothing ; nor for any of the things of this mortal 
life ; but that I must acquire a new calmness, and resigna- 
tion, as to all the events of this world, whether prosperous 
or adverse ; seeking, first, the kingdom of God, and His 
righteousness ; and quietly trusting, that, the greater bles- 
sings being obtained, all other things, which are really 
needful for the body, will be added unto me. 

" Moreover, that disposition, which I have had, to judge 
others, must now, as I perceive, be exchanged for a dispo- 
sition to judge myself. To do, also, to others, as I would 
they should do unto me, must, henceforth, be the great rule 
of my life. How exahed is that purity to which I am 
called : — I am to be a light of the world : — I am to be as 
a city set on a hill : — I am to be that salt, which is to 
season the whole earth. I am to be one of only a little 
flock : for strait, I am assured, is the gate, and narrow is 
the way, which leadeth unto life ; and few there be that 
find it. But how," he would likewise add, " shall I ever 
be sufficient for these things ? Do thou, O my Saviour, 
still direct and teach me. Do thou also sustain and com- 
fort me. To whom shall I go, but unto Thee ; for Thou 
hast the words of eternal life ? Already Thou hast opened 
mine eyes, in some measure, to see both my past sinful- 
ness, and my further duty. Pardon, O Lord, all that is 
past. Show me more clearly that way, by which I may 
be forgiven ; and instruct me whence I may gather strength 
to perform, those great things, which Thou requitest of me." 

O 



168 FAMILY COMMENTARY ON 

In some snch manner as this, would the practical hearer 
apply the Sermon on the Mount, and meditate upon it. 
Such an one would continue to be found among the follow- 
ers of Christ ; his faith might fail for a time, like that of 
the Apostles at the trying period of the crucifixion ; yet he 
would afterwards be numbered among the hearers of the 
Apostles, and among the multitude, that met together on 
the Day of Pentecost. This man would also be of the 
number of that infant Church, which continued stedfast in 
the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of 
bread, and in prayers. I add, that he would also be one 
of those persons to whom the Epistles, now extant, are 
addressed : he would be one of the saints, the called, the 
sanctified in Christ Jesus. He would be a serious and 
earnest reader of those epistles ; and a partaker of that 
excellent spirit with which they are written. 

It is unnecessary, after giving this description, to draw 
a second picture of the serious and practical hearer, or 
reader, of the same Sermon on the Mount, who lives at the 
present day. 

Sufilice it, generally, to remark, that such an one will 
partake in all the same feelings, with the man whom we 
have just described ; and also will unquestionably be dis- 
posed, in like manner, to attend not to this Sermon only, 
but to all the other words, both of Christ, and of His 
Apostles. 

This point is here particularly mentioned, by way of 
reply to those who profess to draw the whole of their reli- 
gion, from the Sermon on the Mount ; assuming that all, 
which is material in Christianity, must of course be found 
there ; and forgetting that saying of Christ Himself to 
His disciples, at a period subsequent to this, — " I have yet 
many things to say unto you : but ye cannot bear then now. 
Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will 
guide you into all truth : — He shall glorify me ; for He 
shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you."* 
* St John xvi. 12—14. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 159 

The serious and practical hearer of the present day will, 
therefore, add — to the precepts given in the Sermon on the 
Mount — all the other precepts of his Bible : and, to the 
whole preceptive part of it, he will add all that is doc- 
trinal. Alarmed by those declarations of the spirituality 
and strictness of the divine law, which the Sermon on the 
Mount furnishes, he will receive with joy that soul-revi- 
ving truth, that " God was in Christ, reconciling the world 
unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them."* 
And that " by Him, all, that believe, are justified from all 
things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of 
Moses ;"t for it is unquestionably one end of that search- 
ing discourse of Christ to prepare the mind for these doc- 
trines. 

Filled also, with a sense both of his own weakness, and 
of the high nature of that holiness, to which (as the same 
Sermon shows) it is absolutely necessary that he should 
attain, how earnestly will he now seek by prayer the help 
of God's Holy Spirit. He will put on the whole armour 
of God : he will search, through all parts of Scripture, for 
every thing which can contribute to make him w4se unto 
salvation ; he w^lf attend in an especial manner to the af- 
fecting history of his Saviour's death, and to the doctrines 
resulting out of it ; nor will he lightly esteem the writings 
of those apostles, whom Christ sent forth for the express 
purpose of evangelizing the nations, baptizing them in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost. 

This, then is the man, who builds his house upon a rock. 
His is a religion which shall never disappoint him. It is no 
baseless fabric, which shall be overthrown by the first rising 
storm. This man, if affliction and trouble should fall upon 
him, shall find the consolations of Christ dwelling in 
him : if persecutions should come upon him, because of 
the word, he shall not be offended : if death should draw 
near, he shall face that king of terrors : and, when the 
* 2 Cor. V. 19. t Actsxiii. 39. 



160 FAMILY COMMENTARY. 

Day of Judgment shall arrive, he shall be counted worthy 
to escape all those things which are coming on the earth, 
and to stand before the Son of Man : for he has not been 
a mere hearer of the word, but a doer of it. His frith in 
Christ has not been that faith which is without works, 
and which is dead, being alone ; but it has been proved to 
have been true faith, by its fruits. His confession of sin 
has not been confession of the lip ; but the real language 
of an humble, broken, and contrite heart: his love to his 
Saviour has not consisted in saying " Lord, Lord ;" but 
in doing the things which He hath commanded. 

Being, therefore, thus safe, for life, for death, and for 
eternity, he may be likened unto a wise man who built his 
house upon a rock : and the rains descended, and the floods 
came, and the winds blew, and beat upon thai house: and 
it fell not ; for it was founded on a rock. 

*' But whosoever heareth these sayings of mine," says 
Christ, " and doeth them not, I will liken him unto a fool- 
ish man, that built his house on the sand." It matters 
not what profession such a man has made ; v/hat doctrine 
he has heard ; or what preacher he has followed. Only to 
hear even the best doctrine is not to Suiid on the right 
foundation. His house is upon the sand : the religion of 
such an one is a slight and unsubstantial thing. It will not 
abide the test, w^hen the storm comes, which is to try it ; 
and there is a time approaching, when every one's building 
shall be tried. That fair edifice, with which he had for a 
while pleased himself, shall fail. All his high hopes and 
confidences shall be throw^n down. The house, which he 
had reared to himself for eternity, shall fall ; for he had 
built it on the sand : and great shall be the fall thereof. 



RD-18 1 



HE END. 



RD-18 




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